The World in the Eyes of Amos Kane
by bandcrazy01
Summary: The Kane Chronicles except in Amos' point of view. The Red Pyramid onward. Why? Because who doesn't like Amos Kane? Major Spoilers. Read all three books before reading this!
1. Prologue

**I never really got into the Percy Jackson series, but once I picked up the Kane Chronicles, I was hooked. I think the main reason for it was the sole adult involved in the story. I hated the fact that teenagers were saving the world the entire time, so when Amos Kane had at least a minor role in the series I pratically fell in love with the books. Though I am kind of disappointed that he is simply a supporting character, even considered the 'bad guy' in the first book.**

**So, in honor of such character, I present the Kane Chronicles: In Amos' point of view. Rated T.**

Prologue

I squinted to the east, the star on the verge of breaking into his usual pattern to start the new day. The rest of the group was getting ready for the day as well, packing and ensuring their weapons and wands were still handy. I had not gotten any rest in days, but it seemed no one had noticed as of yet. No, I 'kept watch' since we had left New York, five nights of staring into the flames and keeping it from dying as the other three slept.

I now watched said fire, that I had worked hard to keep alive all night, die before me; the very thought troubling me to near tears. _Keep it together._ I instructed harshly of myself, my eyes drifted towards my brother as he and his fiancée started packing. _No one gets upset at this age, just pissed off._

Julius is the perfect example of that. He wore the Kane stubbornness like an amulet on a necklace called his ego, it would dazzle with his staff in the sun. This fact is what makes him our group leader, not his age. No, Michel has him beat on seniority despite being of no royal blood.

Speaking of, Michel snapped me out of my dazed state with a slight tap on my left shoulder. I snapped out of it and looked up to face a close friend manage a smile for me. "Hey, you ready?"

No. I wished I could say it, but I must keep myself composed. Adults are expected to keep calm in the midst of crisis, or so Iskandar taught us. I managed a nod through my worries and stood up from the dirt, facing my companions now.

Michel Desjardins covered a concerned look in his eyes as he took a step back, preparing the spell with an amulet out. He is the talented Earth elementalist of the group, able to prove his value in combat alongside my brother. However, he is an outsider. Being French makes it that way. Why he joined us is based on two points. First, I had been in a trio lucky enough to finish our learning from the great Chief Lector Iskandar. Michel, Julius, and I had repeatedly proven our worth on major and minor quests. Second, he apparently felt empathetic to our situation once news spread.

Julius Kane, my dear older brother, seemed beyond prepared for the possible events of today. The leader of our trio, he is the best in combat magic. He knew a few minor spells that sometimes prove useful in dire situations, but otherwise he was only good to rely on to distract the enemies when we needed it most.

There also stood Ruby Faust, a diviner. She was introduced into my life through Julius as we studied in the First Nome in Cairo. She came with us to the Twenty-first Nome with the status as my brother's girlfriend. Now they have plans to marry in three months, if we survive this apocalypse of course.

A sturdy group for a bookworm to find himself in. However, there was a large gap. For seven days, I stood with a large hole beside me, but I composed myself for the team. Besides Ruby, I am the best in divine words. Now I am the simple historian with some serious emotional baggage, someone to turn to for a little more aid in a fight or help determining curses or traps before we walk into them.

Michel summoned a swirl of sand in the middle of the four of us. "You said San Francisco, right?" He asked to make sure, putting away the nifty amulet I had made for him.

"Yep, but who knows what will be waiting for us there." Ruby forewarned, gripping her backpack tightly.

Julius' pompous smile shone through. "Don't concern yourself; we've dealt with Set before." He tried to lighten up the gloom in the air.

So arrogant, I had already told him on repeated occasions that there are far more dangerous beings than the God of Chaos. I held back from throwing my own staff at him, reminding myself we have bigger problems at the moment. Julius stepped through first, Michel, me, and Ruby being last. This has been our tenth portal run in five days, so the sand was now routine as we took in our surroundings.

I looked around as the group proceeded to swipe sand off their clothing. Palm trees every few feet outlining the streets, towering buildings, humid climate. Yep, California. "Any ideas?" Julius turned to me now.

"We may want to check out their museum first." I spoke dryly.

"Not to be the sour one, but I highly doubt Caroline will be there." Michel pointed out.

Ruby's eyes darted at them before they could continue. "Amos, are you certain about the museum being a good start?" She asked me directly.

I sighed before nodding. "There happens to be a good amount of powerful artifacts that could be enough to release him." I explained my reasoning.

"And who knows, Caroline could be holding up in a sarcophagus." Julius shrugged in an attempt to lighten up the dread lingering over the team. "Let's find a tollbooth then."

We walked a bit down the street to find a payphone. Julius scanned through the phonebook as we patiently waited, pedestrians shooting glares at our group as we only exchanged fake smiles. What do they know anyways? Maybe today's events will just be another series of earthquakes for them. A robbery at the museum perhaps? Not a giant serpent trying to escape his prison with the aid of a possessed demon that managed to escape the Duat.

Julius stopped and pointed at the book, letting me take a glance and memorize the address as he turned to the map quickly. Another thing I'm good at, memorizing things I read for a second. I gave him the address again and he found the general area we needed to go. He led us in the direction, the rest of us following.

Admirable Ruby was the one to find the building first, the women of our team have always been the eyes of architecture. Both Ruby and Caroline could probably walk down a street and recognize each building without having to glance at their signs. However, the thought of Caroline was suddenly dragging me down, my worries colliding with my urge to ready for a fight. What if he's already harmed her? Barely alive and being kept so for a hostage?

I shook it out of my head, reminding myself to be ready. Demons are easy compared to Gods and Goddesses, but they are not nice. They have equal reasons to hate the Per Ankh as much as the Gods do. Being banished to the Duat on repeated occasions would probably anger anyone.

We entered warily, Julius asked the uptight woman at the front desk where their Egyptian displays were and continued leading. I could tell the three were ready, anxious for a fight. Julius especially, he is well known in the House of Life for pummeling enemies back to the Duat.

"Whatever happens, we _must_ stop the demon." Ruby's voice suddenly whispered. She seemed uptight, especially for a diviner. This did not help me get battle-ready, it only made me concerned. What has she seen on this? Had she seen anything on it?

We expected the worst when we entered the Egyptian section, but it was filled with visitors peering at the displays and wax artifacts, only a few were real. "Maybe he hasn't arrived yet?" Michel suggested, as we stood stumped.

My eyes panicked as I searched for at least a sign amongst the crowd. "Or just not here." Julius grumbled. "Amos, I think your emotions have knotted up your logic. There are only a few real artifacts in here."

"Julius," Ruby snapped.

Ignoring my brother, I led them through the crowd, stopping before a display of Ancient Egyptian jewelry. I scanned through them and pointed to the one surging power through the glass. "Recognize this?" I asked.

Ruby was the one to take a closer look, Julius and Michel didn't really bother for they don't know much on the topic. "Cleopatra's amulet for Isis." She gasped through. "I wonder where they found this. It was said to be lost with Alexandria when she attempted Ma'at, bringing the downfall of Egypt."

"Has to be fake, everything went underwater." Michel reminded.

"They most likely found it amongst the ruins." I explained. "Either way, it's real, and it's pulsing magic energy. If it really is Cleopatra's, it may have enough chaos to help release him if destroyed."

"Knowing its history, it could level this museum in seconds." Julius added dryly. "Sorry about what I said." He quickly apologized.

I waved it off; I was starting to wonder if I was going off facts or my hopes too. "Lovely necklace, right?" A familiar voice made all four of us jump as we turned.

She peered directly at me with her soft brown eyes, a strand of her black hair twirled around her right index finger in her coy manner. "You know what it is, do you not?"

"Caroline," I could barely speak through my relief. "You're okay?"

"Should have known, find her by Cleopatra…" Julius grumbled to Ruby as she swatted him in reply.

"Maybe we should talk somewhere else, Amos. Let the other three browse a bit more." She suggested.

It sounded off, but I didn't resist as the three exchanged looks. She grinned at me as I followed her out to the deserted courtyard. Odd, it was pretty busy when Julius led us through it a few minutes ago. I didn't question it though as she gestured me to sit next to her at a table in the middle of the room. I didn't hesitate and sat beside her, strangely calm as questions rushed through my mind.

First being how a demon broke into the mansion. Everyone was asleep; we woke to the Great Room being a wreck and Ruby shaking in the veranda. She hadn't been up to see what had occurred, but she admitted to seeing a vision about Caroline that night. It tore at her that she got up early to find the mess, which just added to her nervous breakdown rather than wake her fiancé and I up.

Next question would be why a demon took her and left our Nome a mess rather than kill all of us in our sleep. Ruby had made a theory from her vision, a ritual to awaken the Lord of Chaos, but why take a healer? It had seemed a bit extreme, and seeing Caroline safe made me wave away Ruby's thoughts on the matter.

"Amos, I missed you so much. I'm glad you could make it." She admitted as she suddenly leaned against me.

My heart raced to her cuddling, this was kind of abrupt coming from either of us. Not like I was planning to push her off, but it seemed far too sudden for us to go from close friends. I struggled to think of what to say when they quickly washed over me, tumbling out almost involuntarily. "I missed you too. I was beyond worried, had to find you. Did you escape him?"

She nodded, with a small frown, but she made is disappear as she leaned her head against my left shoulder. "I was scared, didn't know what was going on. Almost lost, I was worried about you."

She peered up at me, my eyes finding hers without my control. I felt an urge to lean towards her as she sat up a little. Our lips just a centimeter away from each other. I was a second away from kissing her out of desperation when a bright light exploded between us.

Black dots danced my vision as I found myself on my back, thrown ten feet away from a sudden fire as Caroline screamed. Dazed and confused to the sudden attack, Michel grabbed me and pulled me further away from the mess. "Sorry Amos, I didn't mean to startle you." He was quick to apologize and I took in Julius rushing towards Caroline Smith with his staff and wand out.

"You idiot! I'm part of your team!" Caroline snapped in utter rage, eyes darted at Julius as his stayed fixed on her.

"Were." Julius corrected. "And you thought you could trick my brother without us knowing?"

"Julius!" I snapped, but he ignored me as Ruby supported his attacks with divine words.

"It wasn't a demon at all." Michel observed as I shook my head in an attempt to shake off the dizziness. "This is possession."

I shot him a confused look. "What are you saying?" I feared even asking.

Michel didn't answer my question and instead joined in on the brawl against Caroline, an unfair fight in my opinion. Nevertheless, she managed to hold her own, blocking every strike my older brother made and countering Ruby's hieroglyphics. It hit me hard as I took in the scene; this wasn't the woman I knew. Instead of fighting back, she would have ran off and found a way to prove herself to us.

Unsteadily I stood with the help of my staff and urged myself to fight. I have to save her, even if it's of something we know little of. There had to be a way, right? My eyes started focusing on the speed and strategy of everyone involved, my brother was starting to get desperate with his strikes as she kept making it pointless. She didn't even seem worn down by fighting so many magicians at once.

She countered another divine word from Ruby and spoke one herself, directed to Julius. In reaction, I countered it to suddenly gain her attention, freezing the fight for a moment. "You think I would take up such a weak host to release me?" A deep hissing voice spoke from her lips now. "Fighting is pointless. I had only one goal with this host."

"And what would that be?" Michel asked amongst the paralyzed looks on our faces.

She smirked, observing all four of us. "Eliminate a threat in the future."

"Might as well explain for us before we strike you down." Julius growled, staff still at the ready.

"Of course, Julius Kane. I only fear two Kanes when it comes time for my release, and another will undoubtedly prove to be a wise leader. I took over this girl to erase my worries. And I was so close if it wasn't for your timely attack upon me." She snarled, everyone's gaze ended on me, which I swallowed back my fear and kept focused on her.

"And to think, I could have killed Miss Smith and led all of you to your demise as an even closer member of the group. But, unfortunately it required a lot of 'persuasion' to even get him to follow me out here." The serpent continued. "So I will just have to kill all of you instead, what a pity."

Was I really that close to the edge before they stopped us? I was too unfocused to really take in the series of divine words headed my way; thankfully, Michel blocked it with a shield. "Snap out of it, it isn't her." Desjardins started. "And it won't ever be unless you focus on helping us get rid of him."

His words helped me refocus and I readied for a series of divine words as well, hoping we can wear him down to release her. This time around, we decided silently to strike together, but she shielded herself from it all. She raised her hands, the walls vibrating around us as we tried to figure out her next attack. I recalled an intense spell that required a lot of magic, one best suited if you happen to be hosting a chaotic god.

Shocked that I could remember it instantly, the best way to defend us and the museum as a whole was placed immediately in my capable hands. I quickly trapped her in a dark blue shield as it continued to its conclusion. The ground shook beneath our feet as the lights flickered; a roar followed a large beam of electricity that struck the shield. We shielded our eyes with our arms and in seconds I could see my shield trap failing. Then it overcame us blindly, perhaps scorched the group.

Once the white died down, I forced myself to sit up. A headache took place with even larger dark spots clouding my vision. I heard three different groans across the room, but otherwise it was completely silent. I closed my eyes and reopened to clear up my eyesight as I peered around. Julius, Ruby, and Michel had slammed into a wall they had been standing only ten feet from and I went across the room and struck three different tables. I looked towards the middle of the room to find the tile floor completely blackened.

I ignored the sudden bleeding from my left hand and struggled to stand again, leaning on my staff for my right ankle refused to cooperate. "Everyone okay?" Julius could barely manage to ask.

"Not sure, more surprised than anything at the moment." Ruby admitted. "May have done something to my arm."

I still hadn't heard any response from the middle of the room were the smoke lingered. I walked into it anyways. "Caroline?" I hesitated to call for.

"A-Amos?" A weak voice called from a foot away.

I kneeled to take in her condition. She looked a bit burned, otherwise just exhausted and fragile. "Hey," I started with a reassuring smile.

"I-I'm sorry…" She struggled to say.

"This wasn't your doing. You'll be on your feet again in no time." I soothed as I lifted her upper body from the burned tile, cradling her.

Her eyes stopped me with a regretful look. "Amos…" She could barely move her lips now.

"Keep yourself strong, Caroline, you need all the strength you have to recover-" I instructed.

"I love you…" Her lower lip trembled for a second as her eyes distanced.

It took me a few seconds to take in what just happened. I closed my eyes out of disbelief. Eight nights ago, I had finally gathered enough courage to consider asking her on a date, I planned to the morning she suddenly went missing. And now… Now she is gone. I found myself crying as she evaporated in my hands, leaving no trace of Caroline Smith.

They managed to organize themselves again, giving me time to weep over the loss. Finally, Michel had the nerve to place a hand on my right shoulder, a distressed expression to let me get the message. I nodded and took his hand to stand again, still dependent on my staff to keep from falling to the floor as my ankle now screamed at me. Ruby dispelled a misty cloud as we left as quickly as we could, passing freaked visitors as they tried to shove their way into the courtyard to see what the commotion was about.

We just kept running, not stopping to at the museum's front door. Julius led us on, further into San Francisco until the concrete under our feet cracked and bore dirt from pieces being upturned. One quick turn into an alley made us all stop. Michel whipped the amulet out again, chanting quickly to form another sand portal, which we all rushed through without second thought.

Maybe it was simply emotion that told us to not turn back and simply get the hell out of dodge. Maybe it was fear of the Sixtieth Nome's leader catching us before we could escape. It wasn't as if the snake was chasing us at the current moment, we were running from avoiding punishment and more than likely having a crying session in a strange city.

I peered around to find we hadn't gone far. This was familiar territory, lights illuminating the blue sky on the horizon told all. The billboards lining the highway a hundred feet away from us helped me conclude my answer, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Julius now glared at Michel. "Really? Why this of all places?" He snapped.

"Hey, I picked the first place that came to mind." Michel snapped, his French accent coming out more like it usually does when he is pissed. "It's not like _you_ were offering city names, Julius."

I chose to ignore the ensuing fight, walking west of the city until their voices were faint like the dry wind. With that, I sat down on the desert sand. Hugging my knees, I closed my eyes and focused on evening my breathing, loosening the sharp stab in my throat.

Unfortunately, I found myself not alone as Ruby sighed and sat beside me. "You don't mind, do you?" She asked, eyes empathetic to my shameful tears.

I let out a small smile to reply, which she relaxed a little more. "Just ignore me, okay?" She encouraged.

I shook my head and went to clean up the salty water off with my right hand. "Let me guess," I started softly.

She simply grinned. "It's still mainly verbal." Ruby confirmed. "I'm just not in the mood to hear any of it."

I entangled my fingers now as I peered at her. "Seriously Amos, I won't judge-" Ruby continued.

"I know you won't." I interrupted swiftly. "Thanks anyways."

Her eyes saddened in reply. We sat in silence for roughly ten minutes, during which I could easily hear Michel shifting the ground under his feet, staffs clanking against each other. Usually I stood in Michel's place, and the others would sit from afar in their attempt to ignore us. I wasn't in the mood to spare with Julius, not after what happened an hour ago.

I knew their fight was on more of a mental base other than Michel picking the outskirts of Las Vegas. Honestly, all that occurred here was our stand against Set. Of course, Julius isn't the type to let emotional ties rest, especially if he feels someone is intentionally rubbing salt in the wound no matter how small.

"You had plans to finally ask her out." Ruby started suddenly. "I'm sorry Amos that it turned out this way instead."

My eyes sunk in response. "I made the mistake here." I started calmly. "I didn't take into account that she would take the direct hit."

"Amos," Julius spoke up.

Both Ruby and I jumped as we turned to see Michel and Julius only a foot away. Julius's clothes was now torn a bit, Michel sporting a black eye. "You did what you thought of at the time of crisis. If it wasn't for you, I most certainly would have been cremated." Julius continued, ignoring Ruby's glare.

Michel and Ruby nodded in agreement. "All of us would have, including Caroline." Michel added.

"Thank you for snapping me out of the trance." I finally spoke. "I don't know what I would have done if I was the one luring the rest of you." I admitted dryly.

"Trust me, we probably would have never guessed." Ruby pointed out. "That blank look in your eyes was what gave it away."

"Otherwise we would have let you and Caroline be." Julius added. "We thought it would be well deserved since she had been missing for so long."

Silence for five minutes. "I'll talk with Iskandar about the amulet." Michel offered. "We can't let something so dangerous stay in unprotected hands. Maybe he will determine if it is Cleopatra's or not."

We all nodded in agreement. "So, looks like we start going our separate ways again." Julius hesitated to speak as he faced our French ally. "You should contact us more often, we could use your ugly smile every once in a while."

Michel grinned to my brother's humor. "I shall consider it." He agreed.


	2. Chapter One: Leader of Boredom

**Short chapter, but more upbeat than the prologue.**

**Again, Rated T.**

**Also I do not own the Kane Chronicles. Or Oreos.**

Chapter One: Leader of Boredom

They tried and failed on numerous occasions. It was getting tiring hearing about how badly Julius Kane had beaten them at their own game and escaped for the hundredth time with his son, Carter Kane. They never listen to the rumors of his past glory, or maybe Iskandar had repeatedly failed to tell them they were encountering the second most powerful magician in the world. Either way, it was still old news.

I took a glance at the calendar, December Twenty-fourth, Christmas Eve. For the Kanes, this was considered Visitation Day, the second and last of each year. Well, actually it was more so for my brother's side of the family. Me? I'm still alone in the Twenty-first Nome with Khufu and Philip of Macedonia to keep me from going completely insane. Thanks Michel, we'll have to talk about this non-training business later.

Despite the rules placed strictly for me, I had broken a few as it was. Since Ruby's death, the Kanes have been considered outlaws, with the exception of me. Michel Desjardins had tried all he could to put me in the bin of troublemakers, but Iskandar kept his thoughts and set up special guidelines.

I was to no longer have contact with the Kanes. No form of communication with Julius was to be tolerated, and that includes my nephew. My niece was forced to live with the Fausts, Ruby's parents that absolutely hate Julius and I, which canceled visiting her as well. I was not to even partake in their attempts to arrest Outlaw Julius Kane for they apparently feared that I would lead them to a well thought of trap. To rub salt in the wound, Michel persuaded the Chief Lector to ban new initiates into the Twenty-first Nome. This was to ensure I was not making an army to eventually gain our revenge.

Honestly, they almost made me sound like a child out of control. Yes, it hurt to see the events unravel on my older brother as they have, but in a sense, he partially deserved it. However, I had _nothing_ to do with the release of the Goddess of Family, so why am I being punished too? Moreover, Michel Desjardins, he knew us almost like family. Once the incident at the needle occurred, he pushed it all aside and kept to the rules set by Chief Lector Iskandar.

Now, as I said, I had already partially broken the rules. However, it was only me watching Julius through the scrying bowl, taking in each plan he had next and whatnot. Recently, he has been studying up on the Afterlife, which concerned me quite a bit. He took his wife's death too hard, and I feared the idea of his next move. It was made worse when he came upon a well-known artifact in the British Museum, the Rosetta Stone.

I grew far too anxious for my own good, pacing the living room as Khufu munched on a bowl of Oreos I handed him earlier. "Well, I think it's been some time since I've asked you for your personal opinion." I started once I stopped pacing, strict eye contact with the baboon. "Shall I go to see about stopping him, or let the House of Life worry about it?"

He gave a thoughtful look before suddenly baring his teeth and grabbed another Oreo. "I already know the risks if I go to London, you don't need to remind me." I rolled my eyes. "This is a matter of letting him place execution orders on their heads or not."

He let out a grunt in response. "That is the only reasonable answer of course. However, it will make out as a threat to the House of Life if I do so. So the question really is shall I turn my back on the Per Ankh?"

He suddenly offered the bowl, six Oreos left. "I feared you would say that." I muttered under my breath as I handed it back to him. "Well, I suppose you can take care of the mansion with Philip, right?"

Of course, who in the right mind would break into a bookworm's home to be greeted by a crazy baboon and an alligator with anger management issues? The answer is obvious, someone who is rather insane. I yanked my trench and hat off the nearby stand and pulled my sunglasses over my eyes. It was going to be a long day, and I was definitely going to need as much cover as I can get.


	3. Chapter Two: Brotherly Love

**Ok, this chapter has some content from The Red Pyramid. I do not own the Kane Chronicles.**

**Also, I've been working on this fanfic for about a year. Just now decided to post it up. Comments are appreciated.**

Chapter Two – Brotherly Love

I peered across the street to see a taxi let two familiar men out. "Wait here please, just picking up my daughter." Julius' voice asked.

He has changed quite a bit since the last I saw him personally six years ago. He had shaved his head completely bald, and was fancying a goatee. Honestly not how I expected my older brother to age, but then again I had changed a bit as well. Four years ago, in fact, I decided to try braids and beads, and have not changed it since.

I watched as Julius started ushering Carter towards the Fausts place when he abruptly stopped. He did a complete hundred and eighty degree turn to spy me looking right at him, leaning against the tree as casual as I could play it.

"What?" Carter asked worriedly as he spotted me as well, but didn't seem to recognize me whatsoever.

"Carter, go on ahead." Julius urged as he took in my expression towards him, an overly pissed off little brother standing outside your in-laws place.

"But-" Carter instantly protested.

"Get your sister. I'll meet you back at the taxi." Julius instructed quickly and crossed the street, Carter watched for a second before continuing to his grandparent's place.

"Long time no see, Amos." Julius greeted, plastering a fake smile over his alarm to seeing me here. "I figured they would tell you to back off. Maybe they got sick of me beating them around that they sent you this time?"

I huffed to the very thought. "Well, you got some of it right." I started in an even tone. "I'm not supposed to be here. However, I came on my own accord. We need to talk."

"About what?" Julius attempted to play innocent now.

My eyes narrowed, and I could tell he noticed through the sunglasses. "Your plans, Julius. I've been watching, and I _know_."

His brown eyes narrowed as well. "Then why are you here?" He demanded.

"I thought that would be obvious, to stop you." I snarled. "You've been obsessed since her death."

"You recall the warning he gave." Julius started coldly. "Two Kanes, and one to lead them."

Of course I did. Since Caroline's death, we had shared multiple ideas on the subject. Now it started to get clearer that it was possibly the Outlaws of the Kane family, and I being the usual audience. "So you wish to summon them?" I muttered angrily.

Julius pulled his hands out; the first stage to a fight with him is freeing his hands. "He is rising, and you of all people know who stopped him last! I only plan to pull the big three out, not the troublesome two as well."

"Julius," I scowl, "the release of Bast has sent you into exile. Do you know how lucky you are to only have that?"

He didn't respond, which I angrily shook my head. "They will kill you _and_ your children!"

"I have to, Amos. You know it's the right thing." Julius defended.

"No. If I don't stop you, Julius, they will. The Per Ankh is shadowing you."

"They don't know my plan. By the time they figure it out-" Julius explained in an angrier fashion.

"And the children?" I snapped, reminding him of the two that needed him most. "What about them?"

"I've made arrangements to protect them. Besides, if I don't do this, we're all in danger. Now back off." He kept his stubborn ground.

Being his little brother, I could only do one thing and equal the stubbornness. "I can't, Julius."

"Then it's a duel you want?" His right hand grasped his staff in his bag, which I hadn't noticed was opened in the first place. "You never could beat me, Amos." He reminded, making me wary for another brawl with my own brother, not the first.

I wasn't sure I wanted to face him here, especially with the kids here to witness it. The Fausts would never change their opinion; they already hate us that the apparent sight makes Mrs. Faust want to learn how to throw knives. Plus, Julius has had more practice recently than I have being alone in Brooklyn House and him running from the House of Life. Before I could react, a sudden voice shouted "Dad!"

I fell backwards to the surprise as I took in Sadie had been the one to make the surprise attack and hugged her father. I took my sunglasses off and noticed Carter appear out of the bushes as well, giving me a look of curiosity as I stood up. How much did they hear? I know Julius has yet to tell them anything about their heritage as a Kane.

"I-I must be going." I finalized our fight, fixed my fedora before leaving.

Perhaps it was luck that they appeared. Julius may play a good act, but he wouldn't dare let his kids watch him fight, especially a brawl with his own brother. I planned to intercept him again, hopefully at the museum when the kids are not in hearing range. For now, I need to get my nerves adjusted, and eat for my anxious pacing made me forget about breakfast this morning.


	4. Chapter Three: Chief Lector Iskandar

Chapter Three – Chief Lector Iskandar

"Thanks," I handed him a good tip before I left the taxi, standing outside the British Museum.

There had been a few past times that I had been here, but I never had a chance to really take in the artifacts. That is unfortunately how it is as a magician; you never can appreciate the buildings and artifacts. I sighed and prepared for round two with my delusional brother.

Three familiar figures approached in a rushed manner. "Halt!" An old friend's voice demanded of me as he took in my appearance.

I froze in place as I noted the other two, one being the Chief Lector himself and the other a young woman roughly Carter's age. Michel stepped between the Chief Lector and I, staff ready. "Now Desjardins," Iskandar scolded, "I'm certain Kane has his reasons to be here, put the staff away."

Michel hesitated and took a step back. I bowed before the Chief Lector immediately. "Chief Lector Iskandar, I apologize for my appearance tonight-" I started; ready to be considered an outlaw now.

"You better be more than that." Michel snapped. "You have broken the rules-"

Iskandar stopped him with his right hand, eyes softened towards me as I stood up straight again. "Amos has kept to them until tonight," Iskandar defended, not the first time he has against Desjardins' attacks. "This is his family caught up in this situation; he has every right to be concerned. So, I will escort you to Cleopatra's Needle for you to go home, and we will wave this discretion away."

Outrage rushed through me, but I kept calm in the presence of the Chief Lector. "Chief Lector, I can't leave and let this happen-" I started.

"We won't let it," Michel growled, "even if it means killing Julius Kane."

"Desjardins!" Iskandar's voice roared, stopping Michel from continuing. "Kane, if you stay here, you stand at risk yourself."

"The Blood of the Pharaohs," Michel muttered out of disgust.

"Same with the kids, I _know_ they are in there with him!" I refused to back down. "You have been having problems stopping Julius. Please, reconsider letting me stop him instead-"

"That's why I'm here," Michel abruptly stated.

"Michel, go in with Zia and stop Julius's treason. Amos, come with me." Iskandar ordered.

Michel shot Iskandar a worried look. "Chief Lector-" He was immediately interrupted by an explosion from the museum, earning all four of our gazes.

A sudden chill raced for a quick second against my spine, which made me shiver for a quick moment. It must have been the very thought of my brother's actions, it was decent temperature for London tonight. Michel's eyes darted at me with complete distaste. "Well, it appears we've discussed for too long," Iskandar admitted.

Without another word, Michel and the young woman named Zia rushed into the museum, leaving the Chief Lector and I alone. "Cold?" He asked curiously.

"I'm okay," I managed through the fear clogging up my thoughts.

He gestured me to follow him to the street, another cab waiting for us. To be honest, it was somewhat odd seeing a Chief Lector of the Per Ankh using a taxi. We were silent during the trip, leaving me to my thoughts on the explosion.

I found myself hoping he failed. Scorch himself rather than summon the God of the Afterlife. Anything _but_ summoning another God into the world. If not for his sake, for his two children knowing nothing on our world.

"You have every right to be angry." Iskandar suddenly spoke up.

I perked up in reply, eyes set on him as he faced me now. If there is anything I have learned, it is safe to speak openly if Chief Lector Iskandar speaks no matter the surroundings. "Chief Lector, I'm not angry-" I started.

He waved my words away. "Do you know why your family has been outcasted?"

"Uh, releasing Bast last I checked." I know, I was kind of being rude towards him, but it was kind of a stupid question.

Iskandar smiled in reply. "Desjardins told me about San Francisco. We're concerned about the warning, and your brother's actions are far more threatening now than they would have been years ago."

Now he attained my attention, I waited for the Chief Lector to spill his reasoning. "Perhaps the warning was given to make the Per Ankh depend on these mysterious three. He might be planning to host them and bring our world to destruction."

My eyes narrowed in response. "The Kane family is stubborn; we wouldn't let some snake take us down so easily."

"We dismissed Julius for their safety," Iskandar reassured, "but he isn't helping by releasing _them_."

"He planned to release Osiris," I explained.

"Don't you remember Las Vegas?" Iskandar questioned. "Set? The storm? You three having to stop the chaos by shoving all five into the Duat at once? I _highly_ doubt he will be able to only release Osiris without at least a protest from Horus or a fight with Set."

To that, I sincerely prayed he only managed to blow up the museum. It isn't farfetched; Julius has always been a horrible spell-caster. Doughboy has always been my first example. I sometimes wanted to take the lump of clay out of his misery, but I knew he would just craft an even worse shabti.

The taxi driver stopped, I paid him and we both got out. I figured I would go without resisting; no one in the right mind would fight the Chief Lector of the Per Ankh, especially one as caring as Iskandar. With the dread on my shoulders thanks to our talk, I was not in the mood to get my face pummeled into the sidewalk anyways. Iskandar opened a portal before the needle to ensure I was going back to New York instead of somewhere else in London.

"If the worst has happened, we will make sure the Kane children don't get involved any further," he explained as I sighed.

"And what to do you mean by that exactly?" I wondered.

Chief Lector Iskandar hesitated. "They will get blame for the destruction, juvenile."

"You would let two innocent kids go to prison without any idea what had really happened tonight?" I questioned his morals now. "They don't know anything about magic or the Per Ankh."

"It's best to keep it that way, Amos." Iskandar stood by his decision by gesturing to the portal. "We will contact you if necessary."

I hesitated, but went through. I immediately found myself standing on the roof of the Brooklyn House. I waited until the swirl of sand dissolved before rushing downstairs. Before I got anywhere, the phone rang. I hesitated, almost frozen as I picked up.

"Amos Kane's place," I answered dryly.

"Hello Mr. Kane, I am Chief Inspector Williams of the London Police Department. I am calling you on behalf of your brother Julius Kane and his children, Carter and Sadie. I hope I'm not interrupting you, but I need to ask you a few questions." A hoarse voice answered.

Oh great, now I am being interrogated by a mortal on the subject? "Julius and I have been distant for some time. Care to explain why you're calling from London?" Magicians are meant to be professionals in the acting game.

"Of course. Mr. Kane-" He started.

"Just Amos will do." I interrupted quickly, I'm not the oldest, and no one calls me 'Mr.' anyways.

"_Amos_, sorry," He corrected himself. "Julius had destroyed several artifacts in the British Museum half an hour ago. It appears that he may have performed an act of terrorism, suicide bomb. Do you have any idea why he would act in such a manner?"

My heart stopped for three seconds, my hand almost dropped the phone. "N-No," I struggled to say. "suicide bombing?" I tried to clear my fear with a little bit of hope. "I assume you found his body then?"

"Uh, no." The inspector answered dryly. "I understand your lack of communication with your older brother, and I'm sure this is still hard for you to take in. Do you think anyone would have approached Julius on the matter of Egyptian artifacts being displayed in other countries?"

I rolled my eyes on that one. They still have that excuse circulating? "Not sure, he did do a lot of traveling to Egypt. And the death of Ruby was hard on him, I'm sure someone could have encouraged it if that's the case." I offered more reasons to the lame excuse for the inspector to believe.

"Also, we discovered the curator locked in his office with a bicycle chain on the doors. We believe that Julius's children, Carter and Sadie, were involved as well." The Chief Inspector continued. "If that is the case, we will have to put them behind bars for terrorism."

I shook my head out of disgrace. If he had simply listened to some of the spells I casted, he wouldn't have to resort to bicycle chains to lock people out. "Inspector Williams, Carter is fourteen and Sadie is twelve. I trust my brother wouldn't have let them be involved-" I started, hoping I could win this fight for once.

"Then they would have been with their grandparents I'm sure. However, we found them amongst the ruins of the British Museum." He was being insistent, and how was I expected to defend Julius on that?

What was the purpose of him bringing them along? He kept them far away from magic, so why did he have a sudden change of heart tonight? Then left them in the mess he made. What a fool, now he had completely destroyed our name in both the House of Life and the mortal world.

"Well, thank you for your help, Amos." The Inspector started. "If you come across anything, or have any questions you can call me."

He rattled the number off, which I pretended to write. "Thanks," I spoke dryly and slammed the phone.

This is not over; I wasn't going to let them win this time. I agreed to walk through the portal, but it just so happens I have other tricks up my sleeve. Blood of the Pharaohs might have it rough with the Gods, but we have some advantages to it.

I summoned my boat and took my trench off, to which it immediately took its post at the steer. "I require a trip to the Faust's place," I instructed quickly.


	5. Chapter Four: Sadie Kane, the Loud Mouth

Chapter Four – Sadie Kane, the Loud Mouth

"Are you saying my father's a terrorist? Are you mad?" I could vividly hear Sadie scream from across the street.

I laid out my plan; I just have to wait for the right moment to occur. My persuasion spells have never been great; in fact, they were hardly decent. I only picked up a few things on it since the incident in San Francisco. I waited by the dead tree again, listening to Sadie's screams towards the Chief Inspector.

"He's a bloody Egyptologist! You should be looking for him, not asking stupid questions!"

The kids were not taking Julius's disappearance well. I didn't blame them, but I did know that he was more than likely dead as well. Even if he succeeded in hosting Osiris, Iskandar was right. The other four would walk out as well, and history would repeat itself once again.

I suddenly saw a shadow from the attic window; I peered up to see Sadie look around, then suddenly stopped on me. A few seconds of staring at each other when she turned away. "Against my will? I chained the curator in his office."

A few seconds of silence made me wonder what Williams was saying to my niece. He better have been understanding, otherwise I might have to write a complaint to his station to get his attitude adjusted. "What's that supposed to mean? Because he doesn't look like me?" Sadie started yelling again, I was halfway shocked the neighborhood wasn't complaining yet.

"I know what you meant. Of course he's my brother!" She snapped.

Wow, she sounded like she heard it on numerous occasions. Carter and Sadie are different, but if you look closely, you can tell they are related. Sadie just happens to have the hardest case of Kane stubbornness than her older brother.

"Amos." Sadie suddenly spoke which alerted me. "He met a man named Amos."

I quickly responded with an invisibility spell. Apparently, they had heard quite a bit if they knew me by name and the disguise. Yet I felt somewhat despaired by the fact that they didn't seem to know me. Yes, Sadie was six and Carter was eight, young and more focused on their lives than the people around them. Nevertheless, they didn't honestly know me?

"He isn't in New York! He's right-" She immediately turned back to the window, suddenly stumped as she glanced around the street. "But he was here! Who is he? One of Dad's colleagues? How did you know to call him?"

Closest living family member is how. Distant yes, but we knew each other too well. "Acting?" Sadie continued.

From hearing Sadie's side of the conversation, a complaint didn't sound too awfully bad right now. I waved the idea away before I could get too overly defensive, I needed to focus. "You shouldn't lie to children!" Her voice boomed, which was answered seven houses away with the lights switching on. "Carter would never say a word against Dad, and neither will I!"

A moment of silence when Sadie left the window. I decided to approach the house now, certain that no one could see me if Sadie couldn't. I now stood in front of the door, waiting for the right timing.

"Mr. and Mrs. Faust." The Chief Inspector started after a moment of silence. "I'm afraid we have two uncooperative children."

_No, just don't know magic and how to lie around you_. I wanted to yell, but kept quiet.

"They're just children. Surely you can't blame them." Mrs. Faust spoke up.

"Pah! This is ridiculous, Inspector. They aren't responsible!" Mr. Faust added.

Any normal Inspector would easily agree. I could tell that he must have done more than talk to me. Maybe even had an interesting discussion with Desjardins at that.

"Mr. Faust, what do you imagine the morning headlines will read? 'British Museum attacked, Rosetta Stone destroyed'. Your son-in-law-" Williams started.

"Former son-in-law." Mr. Faust was quick to correct, something you can't see him _not_ doing.

"-was most likely vaporized in the explosion, or he ran off, in which case-"

"He didn't run off!" Sadie defended instantly.

"We need to know where he is." Williams finalized. "And the only witnesses, your grandchildren, refuse to tell me the truth."

"We did tell you the truth." Carter spoke up. "Dad isn't dead. He sank through the floor."

My heart sank to the news, Julius had succeeded after all. Now four Gods are running free, one in particular just killed my brother.

A pause. "Young man, your father has committed a criminal act. He's left you behind to deal with the consequences-"

"That's not true!" Sadie snapped.

"Dear, please, the inspector is only doing his job." Mrs. Faust attempted to calm her down.

"Badly!" Sadie retorted, I could easily see Julius's attitude in her the more this conversation continued.

"Let's all have some tea." Mrs. Faust suggested, earning a loud no from both Carter and Sadie.

"We can charge you." Williams snapped, earning a small smile from me as I raised my wand, summoning the spell. "We can and we will-"

The blue hieroglyph disappeared into the air, now I just had to wait to see the result of my work. Silence followed for almost a minute, making me nervous. "Er, Inspector?" Mr. Faust asked.

Good. I instantly gave a list of instructions for the Chief Inspector. "Yes…" He answered my instructions through the door. "You're being deported. You're to leave the country within twenty-four hours. If we need to question you further, you'll be contacted through the FBI."

His instructions sounded rough, something I will have to work on. "Sir?" A woman asked. "Are you sure-"

"Quiet, Linley. The two of you may go." That was better on my part as I took a step back from the door, waiting for the door to open.

When it didn't, I made him shoo them out, which finally opened the front door, the woman and another man left, closing the door behind them as they continued hesitantly and obviously concerned. "Hold on. My father's disappeared, and you want me to leave the country?" Carter was equally confused on the subject.

"Your father is either dead or a fugitive, son. Deportation is the kindest option. It's already been arranged."

"With whom? Who authorized this?" Mr. Faust sounded ready for a fight now, which I was glad I wasn't in the room.

He had a good question though; I had to think of a good enough response. "With…" Williams started, and then I finally came upon one. "With the proper authorities. Believe me, it's better than prison."

Now for the niece. "You too, miss." He answered quickly.

"You're deporting me? I live here!" She snapped.

"You're an American citizen. And under the circumstances, it's best for you to return home." That answer was pretty good in my opinion.

Another pause. "Where am I supposed to go?" Sadie was wounded now.

"Inspector, this isn't fair." Mrs. Faust managed to say. "I can't believe-"

"I'll give you some time to say good-bye." I figured it was enough with the games. "I-I must be going."

I waited patiently for him to pass before I entered, the invisibility spell off. The living room was in complete alarm as I closed the door behind me, the Fausts immediately stood from their seats in response. "You." Ruby's father growled. "I should've known. If I was younger, I would beat you to a pulp."

It had been six years since I saw them last as well, and it never went well. They always hated Julius and I because we encouraged their daughter to continue as a magician. "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Faust." I greeted before facing Carter and Sadie, taking in their shock. "It's time we had a talk."

I didn't wait for a response; I just sat on the sofa and made myself at home. Poured myself tea and grabbed a biscuit, which I will admit was burnt but I was starving. Mr. Faust approached the couch from the back, which I could tell he planned to hit me, wouldn't be the first. "Please, sit down." I ordered through the biscuit, which was followed without hesitation.

I almost tensed when the old man sat beside me with a disgusted sigh, but I sipped at the tea and faced Sadie first, and then Carter. "Terrible timing." I finally started. "But there's no other way. They'll have to come with me."

"Excuse me?" Sadie demanded. "I'm not going anywhere with some strange man with biscuit on his face!"

A bit insulted, I faced her again anyways. "I'm no stranger, Sadie. Don't you remember?"

She seemed creeped out and faced Carter, who apparently was feeling the same way towards me.

"No, Amos." Mrs. Faust fought back barely, looking on the verge of tears. "You can't take Sadie. We had an agreement."

Yes, they fought me equally when it came towards training them. I tried to reason with them on the score, but I happened to be on the losing end before I had mentioned it to them. I finally had given in and told them I wouldn't bring her to the Twenty-first Nome, so long as they let Julius see her. They agreed, but only gave him two days.

"Julius broke that agreement tonight." I pointed out quickly. "You know you can't care for Sadie anymore-not after what's happened. Their only chance is to come with me."

"Why should we go anywhere with you?" Carter demanded now, but I still hid the pain. "You almost got into a fight with Dad!"

That instantly struck a chord, but I kept it to myself as I peered at Julius's bag sitting on his son's lap. "I see you kept your father's bag. That's good. You'll need it. As for getting into fights, Julius and I did that quite a lot. If you didn't notice, Carter, I was trying to stop him from doing something rash. If he'd listened to me, we wouldn't be in this situation." I explained dryly.

"You and your superstitions!" Mr. Faust snapped. "I told you we want none of it."

I immediately pointed to the west, where the Thames was now reflecting the moonlight. "Superstition is it? And yet you found a place to live on the east bank of the river." I had _always_ wanted to point that out that I was mentally glad I could bring it up.

His face was now the shade of a tomato. "That was Ruby's idea. Thought it would protect us. But she was wrong about many things, wasn't she? She trusted Julius and you, for one!"

I ignored his words easily, some people never change. I finished my tea and faced Ruby's mother now. "Mrs. Faust, you know what's begun. The police are the least of your worries." I confirmed dryly.

She swallowed. "You… You changed that inspector's mind. You made him deport Sadie." She accused.

"It was that or see the children arrested." I defended quickly.

"Hang on, you changed Inspector William's mind?" Sadie asked. "How?"

I shrugged. "It's not permanent. In fact we should get to New York in the next hour before Inspector Williams begins to wonder why he let you go."

Carter laughed now. "You can't get to New York from London in a hour. Not even the fastest plane-"

"No." I agreed, hiding a smile. "Not a plane." I faced Mrs. Faust now. "Mrs. Faust, Carter and Sadie have only one safe option. You know that. They'll come to the mansion in Brooklyn. I can protect them there." I reassured.

"You've got a mansion. In Brooklyn." Carter questioned.

I gave him an amused smile now. "The family mansion. You'll be safe there."

"But our dad-"

"Is beyond your help for now. I'm sorry, Carter. I'll explain later, but Julius would want you to be safe. For that, we must move quickly. I'm afraid I'm all you've got." I explained sadly.

Carter peered at his grandparents, and then nodded glumly. I understood what that meant; the Fausts hadn't been equal with their grandchildren, favoring Sadie over Carter. "Well, Carter can do what he wants. But I live here. And I'm not going off with some stranger, am I?" Sadie snapped.

She looked to her grandmother for support, but she couldn't even look back at her. "Gramps, surely…" Sadie tried to continue, but he reacted the same way towards his granddaughter.

In fact, he faced me. "You can get them out of the country?"

"Hang on!" Sadie protested now, but Mr. Faust's question had finalized the decision anyways.

I stood up, wiped the crumbs off my jacket, and approached the patio doors, observing the river. "The police will be back soon. Tell them anything you like. They won't find us." I reassured.

"You're going to kidnap us? Do you believe this?" Sadie had lost her stand and now just sat in amazement.

Carter stood up from his seat, shouldering Julius's bag. "How do you plan to get to New York in an hour?" He asked now. "You said, not a plane."

"No." I answered and drew the hieroglyph on the window with my finger.

"A boat." Sadie translated suddenly, which alarmed me.

I faced her to see that she was stunned as well. "How did you-" I started to ask.

"I mean that last bit looks like a boat." She quickly tried to worm her way out. "But that can't be what you mean. That's ridiculous."

"Look!" Carter spoke before I could answer.

Sadie pushed her way beside her brother to look at the boat I had just summoned in awe. "We're going in that. To Brooklyn." Carter judged quickly.

I assume it was perhaps the look of the boat, being as it is an Egyptian reed boat with my trench and fedora. "We'd better get started." I urged anyways.

Sadie turned to Mrs. Faust in desperation. "Gran, please!"

She wiped a tear away from her cheek. "It's for the best, my dear. You should take Muffin."

I had almost forgotten. "Ah, yes. We can't forget the cat."

I faced the stairs, to which 'Muffin' responded and leaped into Sadie's arms. Sadie seemed shocked, and faced me now. "Who are you? We can't just go off with some stranger."

This was starting to get a bit irritating. "I'm not a stranger. I'm family." I clarified with a smile in hopes to reassure her.

That seemed to trigger something in that rambunctious mind of hers, for her eyes lit up suddenly. "Uncle Amos?"

"That's right, Sadie. I'm Julius's brother. Now come along. We have a long way to go." I gestured them through the patio now.


	6. Chapter Five: Nome, Not Gnome

Chapter Five – Nome, Not Gnome

Carter hesitated to get on, probably cautious about the type of boat it was. "How does this thing move?" He asked now. "You've got no sail."

I extended my hand for him. "Trust me."

He took it and got on finally. He then observed the woven hut in the middle of the boat. "Take a seat inside." I insisted. "The trip might be a little rough."

"I'll stand, thanks." Sadie nodded towards the floating coat and fedora now. "Who's your driver?"

I ignored the question, ready for the trip. By a 'little rough' I meant it to be quite crazy. "Hang on, everyone!" I instructed.

During the quick trip through the Duat, I could tell Sadie and Carter were somewhat spooked. I was well adjusted to the insaneness until I could distinctively hear a familiar voice hissing at us. Then a few screams sounded off, followed by Apophis's warning. "I only fear two Kanes when it comes time for my release, and another will undoubtedly prove to be a wise leader." In several different languages.

I kept calm though, for it appeared that the Kane children didn't understand any of it. How did this old warning end up being worldwide? Thankfully, it ended soon, when both Sadie and Carter looked relieved to see the fog dissipate. They looked around to take in their surroundings. "Impossible. That's New York." Carter could barely manage.

"It can't be. We only traveled a few minutes." Sadie pointed out.

The boat docked as Carter and Sadie took in the warehouse. "That is not a mansion." Sadie spoke in a rude manner, which I ignored anyways.

I pointed to the top of the warehouse now. "Look again."

"How… how did you…" Carter and Sadie stood in shock to finally seeing the mansion. "You couldn't build a mansion up there!"

That's what several others had said in the past. Yet there it was, perched on the warehouse for a few generations now. "Long story. But we needed a private location." I explained.

"And this is the east shore?" Sadie asked now. "You said something about that in London-my grandparents living on the east shore." She recalled.

I smiled; maybe it won't be too difficult as I had first thought to the idea of  
training them. "Yes. Very good Sadie. In ancient times, the east bank of the Nile was always the side of the living, the side where the sun rises. The dead were buried west of the river. It was considered bad luck, even dangerous, to live there. The tradition is still strong among… our people." I informed.

"Our people?" Carter had caught on to my wording too quickly.

Thankfully, Sadie interrupted with another question before I could answer. "So you can't live in Manhattan?"

I peered back at the Empire State Building, recalling when Julius had made a deadly mistake to cross the river. He had run into some odd monsters, but barely survived thanks to a group of kids a little older than we were. They took him to a camp; I don't even remember the name of it. All I remember was the Chief Lector had paid a visit to have an important meeting with a man named Chiron, eventually leading to the return of Julius to the Twenty-first Nome. Since then, my brother had insisted on staying tuned to combat magic and nothing else. Something along the lines of training that the camp has and it highly appealed to him.

"Manhattan has other problems. Other gods. It's best we stay separate." I slipped.

"Other what?" Sadie backtracked.

"Nothing." I finalized and took my trench and matching fedora, which shocked Sadie and Carter thanks to being new to Egyptian magic. I put the hat on and folded the coat over my arm, then waved at the metal staircase leading to the mansion. "All ashore. And welcome to the Twenty-first Nome."

"Gnome?" Carter questioned as they followed me to the stairs. "Like those little runty guys?"

"Heavens no. I hate gnomes. They smell horrible." I explained with distaste.

"But you said-" Carter started.

"Nome, n-o-m-e. As in a district, a region. The term is from ancient times, when Egypt was divided into forty-two provinces. Today, the system is a little different. We've gone global. The world is divided into three hundred and sixty nomes. Egypt, of course, is the First. Greater New York is the Twenty-first." I continued.

Sadie apparently didn't think I could see her as she faced her brother and twirled her index finger around her temple. "No Sadie. I'm not crazy. There's much you need to learn." I corrected without looking back.

I stopped at the entrance and faced them. "Carter, after you."

He gave me a confused look. "Um, how do I-" He started to ask.

"How do you think?" I recalled my own father asking Julius that question.

He peered at me as if I was a target, but finally faced the door before I could say anything. He hesitated, but extended his arm and slowly slid it upward without touching it until it disappeared.

Both were stunned. "How…" Sadie started.

"I don't know." Carter admitted. "Motion sensor, maybe?"

He used magic, and didn't even know how he had done so. This was getting out of hand; I could have sworn Julius hadn't taught them any magic. So how did Carter open the door so casually? And Sadie, translating when she shouldn't have had an idea as to what I had written on the patio door back in London.

"Interesting. Not the way I would've done it, but very good. Remarkably good." I encouraged anyways as I tried to think it over.

"Thanks, I think." Carter wasn't sure himself, which didn't sound too good to me either.

Sadie tried to enter first, but one step in and 'Muffin' started clawing at Sadie, earning her to step back out. "What was that about, cat?" She demanded.

"Oh, of course." I was getting too distracted with the kids that I kept forgetting the Goddess. "My apologies."

I placed my hand on Muffin's head. "You may enter." I spoke correctly to allow passage.

"The cat needs permission?" Carter judged.

"Special circumstances." I didn't plan to explain it until they could understand the basis of magic.

I entered, which they followed cautiously. We entered the Great Room, which stopped the children for a second as they took it in. "Oh my god…" Sadie's jaw dropped, peering at the ceiling.

"Yes, this is the Great Room." I informed casually.

They peered around, and after a moment approached the statue of Thoth in the middle of the room. "That's it!" Sadie exclaimed. "Per Ankh."

I focused on them now, watching Carter stare at his younger sister in disbelief. "All right, how can you read that?"

"I don't know. But it's obvious, isn't it? The top one is shaped like the floor plan of a house." Sadie explained.

"How did you get that? It's just a box." Carter pointed out.

Sadie is better at translating than her older brother even though he had traveled with Julius and had more time around Egyptian artifacts. I recalled when I managed to pick up translating quicker than Julius as well, which irritated the hell out of him. Nevertheless, this was something different; she had barely been around hieroglyphs before now.

"It's a house." She was certain. "And the bottom picture is the ankh, the symbol for life. Per Ankh-the House of Life."

"Very good Sadie. And this is a statue of the only god still allowed in the House of Life-at least, normally. Do you recognize him, Carter?" I asked.

He thought for a second. "Thoth, the god of knowledge. He invented writing."

"Indeed." I was only a little impressed.

"Why the animal heads?" Sadie judged. "All those Egyptian gods have animal heads. They look so silly."

"They don't normally appear that way." I explained. "Not in real life."

"Real life?" Carter asked. "Come on. You sound like you've met them in person."

I couldn't count how many times I had encountered gods. Unfortunately, they don't know yet of Muffin's true state, and gratefully she seemed to keep to herself on the matter. "The gods could appear in many forms-usually fully human or fully animal, but occasionally as a hybrid form like this. They are primal forces, you understand, a sort of bridge between humanity and nature. They are depicted with animal heads to show that they exist in two different worlds at once. Do you understand?"

"Not even a little." Sadie admitted.

"Mmm. Yes, we have much training to do. At any rate, the god before you, Thoth, founded the House of Life, for which this mansion is the regional headquarters. Or at least… it used to be. I'm the only member left in the Twenty-first Nome. Or I was, until you two came along."

"Hang on." Carter stopped me. "What is the House of Life? Why is Thoth the only god allowed here, and why are you-"

"Carter, I understand how you feel." I smiled out of sympathy. "But these things are better discussed in daylight. You need to get some sleep, and I don't want you to have nightmares."

"You think I can sleep?" Carter wondered.

Muffin stretched and yawn in reaction. I clapped my hands now. "Khufu!" I called.

Khufu came down the stairs, happy to see that I had returned and even brought the two Kane children with me. For some reason, he was now wearing his L.A. Lakers jersey. He flipped and landed before the kids, baring his fangs as he belched.

"The Lakers are my home team!" Carter approved.

Khufu tapped his head with both hands and belched again. "Oh, Khufu likes you." I explained. "You'll get along famously."

"Right. You've got a monkey butler. Why not?" Sadie judged quickly.

Khufu grunted at Carter now, but Carter just stood there out of confusion. I laughed a bit. "He wants to go one-on-one with you, Carter. To, ah, see your game." I translated for him.

Carter shifted out of nervousness. "Um, yeah. Sure. Maybe tomorrow. But how can you understand-"

"Carter, I'm afraid you'll have a lot to get used to." I interrupted before he could give me another list of questions. "But if you're going to survive and save your father, you have to get some rest."

"Sorry, did you say 'survive and save our father'? Could you expand on that?" Sadie asked.

"Tomorrow. We'll begin your orientation in the morning. Khufu, show them to their rooms, please."

Khufu grunted and waddled up the stairs, Carter and Sadie were about to follow when I remembered the bag. "Carter, the workbag, please. It's best if I lock it in the library."

He hesitated, but I didn't want them looking through it before they could understand it. "You'll get it back." I promised. "When the time is right."

He finally handed the bag and I gently took it from him. "See you in the morning."

I unchained the library doors and slipped inside, locking the chains behind me. I sighed to relax my nerves. It's been a hectic day thanks to Julius. Deal with his stupidity in unleashing five gods at once, making sure his kids are safe, dealing with Desjardins, and then putting up with the Fausts. I was glad to be home, in familiar territory again.

I had simply placed the bag on the stone table in the middle of the room and sat down for a moment. I figured I would need it; I was bound to get someone screaming at me through the scrying bowl before the night was over. Khufu joined me after two minutes.

"Did you lock them in their rooms?" I asked, which he grunted with a nod.

"I'm going to need your assistance with them. I can already tell they will be a handful." I explained dryly. "And I fear we have bigger problems than just Julius hosting. They are powerful when together for a long time, but this is far more advanced than I thought." I explained dryly. "But I don't have enough information to know if it's true, I hope Julius didn't intend it."


	7. Chapter Six: A Magical Lecture

Chapter Six – A Magical Lecture

"Amos Kane, you have broken the rule again!" Desjardins voice boomed from the bowl as I rolled my eyes. "And you tricked us, you slimly little snake-"

"I didn't trick you." I started plainly. "I went through the portal as asked."

"Lie after lie." Michel shot down, not in the mood to believe anything at this point. "You interfered with our procedures to keep the children safe. Now they hold a large bounty on their heads. As for you, you are harboring enemies to the Per Ankh!"

"Why should Carter and Sadie get blame for what they couldn't control?" I snapped. "They don't even know what happened tonight, I already explained this-"

"Julius had made them amulets, Amos." His tone grew deadly. "Horus and Isis, I think you can put two and two together."

Oh great, so now I've been dragged into this circus. "It's not their fault-" I started.

"That doesn't matter now, Amos! You know that. They are hosting powerful gods and must be stopped immediately." Michel reminded me of the rule Iskandar had placed since the fall of Egypt.

"Horus and Isis are the least of our problems!" I defended. "We still have yet to find two of the five, and one of them happens to be Set."

"We are arranging a group to take him on. No need to concern yourself, Kane. You need to hand over the children or else face the death sentence awaiting you." He finalized.

"I would be a far worse uncle compared to Set if I did that." I spoke sourly. "Therefore I await your arrival, and I certainly hope you're ready for a fight." I waved my hand over the bowl to 'hang up' on him.

Maybe stubbornness is a curse on our family. Either way, I was officially set on protecting my nephew and niece. And teach Desjardins a lesson in manners that apparently he had forgotten over the years. From the sounds of it, they are not focused on the threat on their doorstep and would rather chase the Kanes down for Julius's arrogance.

I've known that the rules against the gods have never been lenient, always strict no matter the host. We came upon Set hiding in a teenage boy, and had orders to kill. However, I had other ideas and instead trapped Set and his family into the Duat together, nearly killed me to do so, but the kid was still alive. Never seen him since, I'm sure he was fighting for his life somewhere.

Moreover, how dare Desjardins threaten me with my life? I have been obeying for too long, and I am not about to let Carter and Sadie die over this. He may be a little more powerful than me, but I can still hold up in a fight against him.

I tried to sleep, but the events of Christmas Eve kept replying themselves. I eventually gave up and entered the Great Room, sat on the couch in silence. I reviewed yesterday again, taking in the explosion I witnessed just outside the museum, the three different fights that almost occurred, and the horrible mess I made when I tried to make the Chief Inspector sound reasonable.

Despite the warm temperature, I still felt a chill every so often. Like someone was watching, which I seriously wouldn't doubt seeing the amount of lines I crossed. More than likely some kid from the First Nome putting in extra hours at the scrying bowl.

I sat up in realization. Today is Christmas. Moreover, my nephew and niece are here. And me being so focused on my work and saving them, I completely forgot until now. I apparently have been forgetting quite a few things. What the hell do kids like these days?

After a while of thinking on it, I quickly decided it would be inappropriate. They lost their father last night and now found themselves with an uncle they barely know and the confusing mess the world of Egyptian magic is. Plus they are getting stronger in hours instead of days for a typical initiate. I need to train them before it gets too hectic.

Two hours of sitting and the clock read five. I decided to prepare breakfast. May have overdone it seeing as I had filled the entire buffet table once Sadie came down the stairs, rubbing her eyes. "You appear to have gotten some good rest." I smiled a little to her taking in the table. "Help yourself. I haven't used this table in six years that I overdid it."

I didn't need to say another word on the subject as she filled her plate with bacon, pancakes, eggs, anything. She finished and ended with a tower on her plate. I smirked in response as I led her to the terrace. "Starving are we?" I asked with good humor as she sat at the table next to me and quickly started eating.

"Well, sort of." She explained as she grabbed her fork and observed how she could get to the pancakes covered in bacon now. "Gran never made breakfast. If you didn't notice with the biscuits last night, she's a horrible cook."

I shrugged. "I ignored it." I explained. "Did a lot of running around that I didn't care."

"Anyways, it's been awhile since I've had an actual breakfast." Sadie gave up and grabbed a strip of bacon to chew on.

"Six years?" I asked.

She hesitated to nod. My question left an understanding silence between us as I took a sip of coffee. Khufu entered, hungry look in his eyes. "Sorry, I keep forgetting the littlest things." I apologized and got up and approached the left corner of the ledge, a box containing two deceased flamingos.

I grabbed a flamingo and handed it to him, which his eyes lit up. "Little present, I figured you were the only one keeping me sane that I should try." I admitted, which Philip started to wake up.

I threw one in the pool for him as well before sitting at the table again, Sadie giving me a weird look. "Uh, what is that?" She could barely bring herself to ask.

I sighed and sat down. "Khufu has an interesting eating habit. He only eats things that end in O." I hesitated to explain.

She thought for a moment. "Flamingo?" She was scared to ask. "Aren't baboons herbivores?"

I stopped her there. "Don't question him; he'll give you an entire lecture." I warned, which she just gave me a weird look. "Well, if you can understand him. Otherwise I suppose it would just appear as a crazy baboon in your face."

Philip sent a wave of water out of the pool, grabbing Sadie's attention. "What was that?" She asked out of alarm.

"Oh, that's Philip of Macedonia." I introduced.

"Philip, what a weird name. What is he though?" She asked.

"A crocodile. An albino one at that. Don't tell him though, he gets cranky." I explained briefly. "As I'm certain you know, they are carnivores. So almost anything meat is good enough for him, not picky compared to Khufu."

She picked up a piece of bacon and threw it to the pool, which Philip happily snatched up in seconds. "You have a lot of weird pets running around here." She pointed out as she took a sip of orange juice. "I thought Carter would be up and running by now." She admitted. "It's Christmas, doesn't he get up early?"

I recalled the days I spent watching Julius, and their Christmas was usually spent on a plane to go to their next museum. Last minute presents for Carter that Julius would pick up from a nearby gift shop. So of course he wouldn't be like the rest, he valued sleep over Christmas. "At least he's sleeping." I pointed out, which she nodded in response. "I hope you don't mind my horrible hosting abilities, I didn't think I would get any new initiates. I also figured I wouldn't be cheap either."

"That's okay Uncle." Sadie smiled out of approval. "It's kind of not a celebratory holiday this time around. I'm glad you didn't, otherwise I would have to fake it. The breakfast is great, and I'm going to spend it with my brother finally. That's good enough for me."


	8. And Another Magical Lecture

**Shadow Priesstes: Thank you for your many compliments. *bows* I hope I'm not making him too OOC. :D**

**I don't own the Kane Chronicles.**

Chapter Seven - …And Another Magical Lecture

Muffin and Carter entered, both looking quite starved as well. "Ah, Carter. Merry Christmas, my boy. Join us."

"About time. I've been up for ages." Sadie teased a bit.

I poured myself another cup of coffee. "Um… Amos?" Carter started after sharing a glance with his sister. "You didn't have any pet birds, did you? Khufu's eating something with pink feathers."

I took a sip of coffee. "Sorry if that disturbed you. Khufu's very picky. He only eats foods that end in O. Doritos, burritos, flamingos." I listed.

Carter blinked amongst the confusion. "Did you say-"

"Carter, don't ask." Sadie warned.

"Okay, not asking." He decided quickly.

"Please, Carter, help yourself." I pointed to the buffet table, still highly stocked even after Sadie's building on her plate. "Then we can get started with the explanations."

He approached the table and grabbed himself some pancakes and bacon with a glass of orange juice, not even half of what Sadie had grabbed. Before he came to the table, he spotted Philip watching him silently. "Is that-"

"A crocodile." I finished for him. "For good luck. He's albino, but please don't mention that. He's sensitive."

"His name is Philip of Macedonia." Sadie added.

"That's a long name." Carter pointed out.

"He's a long crocodile. Oh, and he likes bacon." Sadie informed as she tossed another piece of bacon to him.

Carter looked freaked out to the sight of his teeth. "He's quite harmless to my friends." I assured quickly. "In the old days, no temple would be complete without a lake full of crocodiles. They are powerful magic creatures."

"Right. So the baboon, the crocodile… any other pets I should know about?" Carter asked.

"Visible ones? No, I think that's it." I confirmed.

Carter took a seat, but the farthest one from the pool. We continued eating, with a moment of silence. "So, Amos. Explanations." Carter reminded.

"Yes. Where to start…" I considered.

"Our dad." Sadie offered. "What happened to him?"

I started spreading butter on my bagel as I took a deep breath. Of course, they were bound to ask the most complicated question first, their dad is gone. "Julius was attempting to summon a god. Unfortunately, it worked."

"Any god in particular? Or did he just order a generic god?" Carter asked.

Sadie kicked her brother under the table and scowled. I ignored the interruption and took a bite of bagel before continuing. "There are many Egyptian gods, Carter. But your dad was after one in particular."

I waited for him to guess, he is the one that followed Julius, he was bound to know sometime. "Osiris." He remembered. "When Dad was standing in front of the Rosetta Stone, he said, 'Osiris, come'. But Osiris is a legend. He's make-believe."

"I wish that were true." I stopped him quickly and stared off towards Manhattan. "The Ancient Egyptians were not fools, Carter. They built the pyramids. They created the first great nation. Their civilization lasted thousands of years."

"Yeah." Carter agreed. "And now they're gone."

I shook my head. "A legacy that powerful does not disappear. Next to the Egyptians, the Greeks and Romans were babies. Our modern nations like Great Britain and America? Blinks of an eye. The very oldest root of civilization, at least of Western civilization, is Egypt. Look at the pyramid on the dollar bill. Look at the Washington Monument-the world's largest Egyptian obelisk. Egypt is still very much alive. And so, unfortunately, are her gods."

"Come on." Carter argued. "I mean… even if I believe there's a real thing called magic. Believing in ancient gods is totally different. You're joking, right?"

"Carter, the Egyptians would not have been stupid enough to believe in imaginary gods. The beings they described in their myths are very, very real. In the old days, the priests of Egypt would call upon these gods to channel their power and preform great feats. That is the origin of what we now call magic. Like many things, magic was first invented by the Egyptians. Each temple had a branch of magicians called the House of Life. Their magicians were famed throughout the ancient world." I continued.

"And you're an Egyptian magician." Carter judged.

I nodded in response. "So was your father. You saw it for yourself last night." I confirmed.

Carter hesitated to ask his next question, I was honestly surprised Sadie had yet to join. "But he's an archaeologist." The classic Kane stubbornness showed through.

"That's his cover story. You'll remember that he specialized in translating ancient spells, which are very difficult to understand unless you work magic yourself. Our family, the Kane family, has been part of the House of Life almost since the beginning. And your mother's family is almost as ancient."

"The Fausts?" He obviously didn't believe that.

"They had not practiced magic for many generations. Not until your mother came along. But yes, a very ancient bloodline." I informed quickly.

Sadie shook her head in disbelief. "So now Mum was magic, too. Are you joking?"

"No jokes." I confirmed. "The two of you… you combine the blood of two ancient families, both of which have a long, complicated history with the gods. You are the most powerful Kane children to be born in many centuries."

They tried to digest my words, which apparently didn't go too well. "You're telling me that our parents secretly worshipped animal-headed gods?" Carter asked.

"Not worshipped." I corrected quickly. "By the end of the ancient times, Egyptians had learned that their gods were not to be worshipped. They are powerful beings, primeval forces, but they are not divine in the sense one might think of God. They are created entities, like mortals. We can respect them, fear them, use their power, or even fight them to keep them under control-"

"Fight gods?" Sadie jumped in quickly.

"Constantly. But we don't worship them. Thoth taught us that." I finished.

Carter gave Sadie a questionable look before asking his next question. "So… Why did Dad break the Rosetta Stone?"

"Oh, I'm sure he didn't mean to break it. That would've horrified him." I reassured, and I knew for a fact that explosions were not his favorite to put up with. "In fact, I imagine my brethren in London have repaired the damage by now. The curators will soon check their vaults and discover that the Rosetta Stone miraculously survived the explosion."

"But it was blown into a million pieces!" Carter continued. "How could they repair it?"

In response, I picked up a saucer and tossed it to the floor, Sadie and Carter watching carefully. "That was to destroy. I could've done it by magic- ha-di -but it's simpler just to smash it." I explained. "And now join." I held my hand out. "Hi-nehm."

Their eyes grew wide as the pieces of the saucer flew into my hand and reformed. I placed it back on the table as Carter's eyes fixed themselves before they could quite possibly bulge out of his head. "Some trick." He finally managed to say.

I poured milk into the saucer and placed it on the floor once I remembered the cat. "At any rate, your father would never intentionally damage a relic. He simply didn't realize how much power the Rosetta Stone contained." One of many things he was flawed at. "You see, as Egypt faded, it's magic collected and concentrated into its remaining relics. Most of these, of course, are still in Egypt. But you can find some in almost every major museum. A magician can use these artifacts as focal points to work more powerful spells."

"I don't get it." Carter said immediately.

I spread my hands out. "I'm sorry, Carter. It takes years of study to understand magic, and I'm trying to explain it to you in a single morning." I explained my situation a little so he could hopefully lean off on the judging. "The important thing is, for the past six years your father has been looking for a way to summon Osiris, and last night he thought he had found the right artifact to do it."

"Wait, why did he want Osiris?" Carter asked.

Sadie responded this time. "Carter, Osiris was the lord of the dead. Dad was talking about making things right. He was talking about Mum."

Silence as they took it in. The fool I was to even mention the thought a little over fourteen years ago, when I was entangled in guilt for Caroline's death. Thankfully, I managed to snap out of it, but Julius's situation with Ruby was far more complicated than mine. No possession was involved, no Lord of Chaos. Simply releasing Bast from her caged fight with Apophis in exchange for Ruby.

"He wanted to bring Mom back from the dead?" Carter interrupted the tense silence. "But that's crazy!"

I hesitated to answer. "It would've been dangerous. Inadvisable. Foolish. But not crazy. Your father is a powerful magician. If, in fact, that is what he was after, he might have accomplished it, using the power of Osiris."

Carter stared at his younger sister now. "You're actually believing this?"

"You saw the magic at the museum. The fiery bloke. Dad summoned something from the stone." Sadie reminded instantly.

"Yeah. But that wasn't Osiris, was it?" He turned back to me with his questions.

"No. Your father got more than he bargained for. He did release the spirit of Osiris. In fact, I think he successfully joined with the god-"

"Joined with?" Carter asked.

I held up my hand. "Another long conversation. For now, let's just say he drew the power of Osiris into himself. But he never got the chance to use it because, according to what Sadie has told me, it appears that Julius released five gods from the Rosetta Stone. Five gods who were all trapped together."

He looked back at his sister again. "You told him everything?"

"He's going to help us, Carter." Sadie defended.

"Okay, yeah. The fiery guy said something like 'You released all five'. What did he mean?"

I sipped my coffee, recalling the fight we had against Set nearly twenty years ago. "I don't want to scare you."

"Too late." Carter pointed out.

I hesitated. "The gods of Egypt are very dangerous. For the last two thousand years or so, we magicians have spent much of our time binding and banishing them whenever they appear. In fact, our most important law, issued by Chief Lector Iskandar in Roman times, forbids unleashing the gods or using their power. Your father broke that law once before."

Sadie went pale. "Does this have something to do with Mum's death? Cleopatra's Needle in London?"

"It has everything to do with that, Sadie. Your parents… well, they thought they were doing something good. They took a terrible risk, and it cost your mother her life. Your father took the blame. He was exiled, I suppose you would say. Banished. He was forced to move around constantly because the House monitored his activities. They feared he would continue his… research. As indeed he did." I confirmed gravely.

"Is that why you never came round?" Sadie asked me. "Because Dad was banished?"

My eyes saddened to the topic. "The House forbade me to see him. I loved Julius. It hurt me to stay away from my brother, from you children. But I could not see you-until last night, when I simply had no choice but to try to help. Julius has been obsessed with finding Osiris for years. He was consumed with grief because of what happened to your mother. When I learned that Julius was about to break the law again, to try to set things right, I had to stop him. A second offense would've meant a death sentence. Unfortunately, I failed. I should've known he was too stubborn."

Carter stared at his plate. Muffin jumped onto the table after emptying the saucer and brushed against his hand, then started eating his bacon. "Last night at the museum," Carter hesitated now, "the girl with the knife, the man with the forked beard-they were magicians too? From the House of Life?"

"Yes, keeping an eye on your father. You are fortunate they let you go." I informed.

"The girl wanted to kill us. But the guy with the beard said, not yet." Carter recalled.

"They don't kill unless it is absolutely necessary." I explained. "They will wait to see if you are a threat."

"Why would we be a threat?" Sadie jumped. "We're children! The summoning wasn't our idea."

I pushed my plate forward. "There is a reason you two were raised separately." I started.

"Because the Fausts took Dad to court. And Dad lost." Carter summed up.

"It was much more than that." I continued. "The House of Life insisted you two be separated. Your father wanted to keep you both, even though he knew how dangerous it was."

Sadie looked on the verge of tears now. "He did?"

"Of course. But the House intervened and made sure your grandparents got custody of you, Sadie. If you and Carter were raised together, you could become very powerful. Perhaps you have already sensed changes over the past day."

They thought it over a moment. "Your sixth birthday." Carter suddenly recalled, facing his sister.

"The cake." Sadie responded quickly.

I easily remembered it as well. Sadie's sixth birthday wasn't really anything special. Ruby invited me to join, which I easily took the chance to. However, it appeared that the kids were a bit out of hand, Julius had insisted on not having visitors, and was actually relieved when he opened the door to find it was me and not a friend. He pulled me to the side and explained the mayhem. Sinks suddenly turning on, plates randomly exploding, absolute terror in the Kane home. And it would happen with just a small argument between Carter and Sadie, not even a major fight that Julius and I would always get into.

I stayed around, nothing had occurred until the time came for Sadie to blow her candles out. Carter, being the big brother that he is, wanted to blow out the candles for her. Sadie being six defended herself by stating that she could do it herself. Just a few angry words between them when the cake exploded. Knowing the reason behind the insaneness, Ruby and Julius had pulled them into their own rooms as I cleaned up the mess.

Carter and Sadie turned to me now. "That was you. You were at Sadie's party."

"Vanilla icing." I added with a hint of amusement to their recalling. "Very tasty. But it was clear even then that you two would be difficult to raise in the same household."

"And so… What happens to us now?" Carter asked.

"You must be trained properly, whether the House approves or not." I finalized.

Carter gave me a confused look. "Why wouldn't they approve?"

"I will explain everything, don't worry." I promised. "But we must start your lessons if we are to stand any chance of finding your father and putting things right. Otherwise the entire world is in danger. If we only knew where-"

"Phoenix." Carter blurted out.

I stared at him. "What?"

"Last night I had… well, not a dream, exactly…" Carter started to explain. "I could smell, feel, all the senses that you wouldn't have in a dream."

My eyes widened to that. Ba travel on the first day being introduced to magic? This really was turning into a disaster.

"Anyways, I was floating above the Camelback this amphibian was talking to some rooster like dude." Carter continued, my eyes narrowing to each word. "Something about not having a permanent host and can only appear for a short time. Then the fiery guy showed up and they started talking about 'other four'. The toad-like dude said something that made the fiery dude melted him." He was rushing through the details out of panic, which I didn't really blame him for it.

"Then something about building a temple, summoning a storm and cleanse everything. The rooster guy whispered something to him that I thought would turn him into melted pudding too, but I guess it just made the fiery guy excited. He told the rooster to start with the longnecks and collect the younglings. I woke up when he said something about a birthday present."

Silence as I took a gulp of coffee, doing my best to hide my shaking hands. Sadie appeared confused, but seemed to hold back from asking anything for her brother's sake. Carter looked traumatized without any knowledge of what the conversation was about. I finally cleared my throat, readying to review. "You're _sure_ he said 'birthday present'?"

"Yeah," Carter managed to continue talking, "but what does that mean?"

"And a permanent host. He didn't have one yet?" A small dose of hope drilled through me to the thought, but _very_ small.

"Well, that's what the rooster-footed guy said-"

"That was a demon. A minion of chaos," I explained. "And if demons are coming through to the mortal world, we don't have much time. This is bad, very bad."

"If you live in Phoenix," Carter added.

"Carter, our enemy won't stop in Phoenix. If he's grown so powerful so fast…" I reviewed the details again. "What did he say about the storm exactly?"

"He said: 'I will summon the greatest storm ever known'."

I scowled at the thought, typical arrogant God-like behavior. "The last time he said that, he created the Sahara." I chewed on that thought for a second. "A storm that large could destroy North America, generating enough chaos to give him an almost invincible form."

"What are you talking about?" Who _is_ this guy?" Carter demanded instantly; worry taking hold in his eyes along with his sister.

I straightened up in my chair and waved the topic away. "More important right now: why didn't you sleep with the headrest?"

Carter shrugged. "It was uncomfortable." He admitted dryly and turned to Sadie for support. "You didn't use it, did you?"

She rolled her eyes in reaction. "Well, of course I did. It was _obviously_ there for a reason."

I would have smirked, but I was more focused on orientation and the annoying topic of a certain chaotic god. "Carter, sleep is dangerous. It's a doorway into the Duat."

"Lovely, another strange word." Sadie grumbled.

"Ah… yes, sorry. The Duat is the world of spirits and magic. It exists beneath the waking world like a vast ocean, with many layers and regions. We submerged just under its surface last night to reach New York, because travel through the Duat is much faster. Carter, your consciousness also passed through its shallowest currents as you slept, which is how you witnessed what happened in Phoenix," I explained as simply as I could. "Fortunately, you survived that experience. But the deeper you go into the Duat, the more horrible things you encounter, and the more difficult it is to return. There are entire realms filled with demons, palaces where the gods exist in their pure forms, so powerful their mere presence would burn a human to ashes. There are prisons that hold beings of unspeakable evil, and some chasms so deep and chaotic that not even the gods dare explore them."

"Now that your powers are stirring, you must not sleep without protection, or you leave yourself open to attacks from the Duat or… unintended journeys through it. The headrest is enchanted, to keep your consciousness anchored to your body."

"You mean I actually _did_…" Carter's eyes were back to being as big as the saucer Muffin just drank from. "Could he have killed me?"

_Yes_, but I restrained myself. I was already drilling too much fear into them that it was unfair. "The fact that your soul can travel like that means you are progressing faster than I thought. Faster than should be possible. If the Red Lord had noticed you-"

"The Red Lord?" Sadie interrupted. "That's the fiery bloke?"

I stood up now. "I must find out more. We can't simply wait for him to find you. And if he releases the storm on his birthday, at the height of his powers-"

"You mean you're going to Phoenix?" Carter struggled to speak up. "Amos, that fiery man defeated Dad like his magic was a joke! Now he's got demons, and he's getting stronger, and - you'll be killed!"

They barely even know me and are worried. I shot him a dry smile in reply; it had been awhile since I've heard anyone worry so much other than myself. "Don't count your uncle out so quickly, Carter. I've got some magic of my own. Besides, I must see what is happening for myself if we're to have any chance at saving your father and stopping the Red Lord. I'll be quick and careful," I reassured. "Just stay here. Muffin will guard you."

Carter blinked. "The cat will guard us? You can't just leave us here! What about our training?"

"When I return," I promised swiftly. It's not like I was going to let them go another day without it, not at their pace. "Don't worry, the mansion is protected. Just do not leave. Do not be tricked into opening the door for anyone. And whatever happens, _do not_ go into the library. I absolutely forbid it. I will be back by sunset," I finalized my instructions before turning and jumped off the edge of the terrace, opening a door in the Duat just as quickly.


	9. Chapter Eight: A Long Awaited Visit

Chapter Eight – A Long Awaited Visit

It took me by surprise to see that he wasn't in the opera house. It was actually quiet without his horrible guitar playing and the baboons doing their best to take it away from him. No matter how hard I tried to explain it to him, he _still_ refused to see why they would try to disarm him of the instrument. The thought brought a small smile into my expression as I quickly turned to leave.

Half an hour of walking, I found myself standing before the University of Memphis. "Worth a shot I suppose." I grumbled as I slowly entered.

All of their students have left for the holidays, leaving it practically vacant for his use. The struggle was going to be where to find him amongst the many buildings. A few minutes of walking around, I found myself taking a peek into the basketball court. It was a three on three game, and it appeared the Grizzlies were winning against the Jazz.

I snorted to the thought; I managed to affect his gang of baboons just as much as Julius had. Julius introduced them to basketball when I was fifteen, just so we could try to sneak a peek into Thoth's library. I won't go into details, but we were caught five minutes into our search. My last visit, roughly five years ago, I pulled a few of Khufu's friends to the side to lecture them on the god's taste on music. I apparently must have made the mistake of mentioning Jazz.

I sighed and approached slowly, watching Fenyang bare his teeth at Donkor, who cowered and looked ready to leave the game with the rest of the Jazz team. "Who's winning?" I spoke up, smiling to their reaction as they paused their argument to take me in.

Akil, wearing a Grizzly jersey, was the first to jump me. Mind you, this wasn't an attack. The only ones I would be sincerely watchful of would be Fenyang and Adofo. No, this was their way of greeting me. I guess you could consider us friends, seeing as I socialized with them each time I came for a visit, which was almost every day up until Ruby's death.

"Yes, I missed you guys too." I laughed as all six managed to surround me, taking me in again as if I had changed a lot in the last five years. "I'm kind of in a rush, I wish I could stay. Could you point me in Thoth's direction?"

Badru quickly pointed towards what looked to be the library and grunted. "I realize that, he's going to know I need his assistance." I frowned to the thought; he will probably want me to do something thanks to our distance. "Thanks. Oh, and go Jazz!" I added, earning a visible death glare from Fenyang as Donkor rose his hands above his head to clap out of approval.

Gratefully Fenyang didn't keep focused on me for long, they returned to the game shortly after I walked off the court. I made my way to the library quickly but hesitated at the door. The sound of guitar strings being horrifically plucked at didn't help any.

After a while of drilling scenarios of how he could react, I finally sighed and knocked on the door. The guitar stopped, silence for ten seconds. "Sorry, the library is closed with the campus, wait until the tenth."

"Last I checked, the library is supposed to be a place of solace and study, not bad taste in music." I replied just as quickly.

Nothing for fifteen seconds now. The doors creaked, revealing a familiar face as he peered at me. "It isn't _bad_, thank you," he defended with a rather large grin. "At least, not as bad as your new dress code."

I smirked in reply, thankful he didn't find a reason to be angry. "I suppose I should allow your entry?" He continued, opening the double doors further.

I slowly entered; taking in the mess the library was currently in. I'm sure it was nicely organized before Thoth moved in. Now there were books lying open on top of each other, scrolls rolled out and flattened by other books, the bookshelves looked practically bare compared to the tables. "Take a seat, Amos," he encouraged after locking the doors again.

"I would like to," I started grimly. "However, I'm here to ask you a few questions and be on my way."

He frowned immediately, just as I figured he would. "I assume you've given up on it?" Thoth sounded somewhat broken.

I sighed, not sure of where to direction this piece of news. "To be honest, I couldn't after Ruby." I hesitated to explain. "They've been keeping a close eye on the entire Kane family. If they know I even _thought_ of studying your path-"

Thoth waved it off, an understanding nod my way. "I'd prefer that didn't happen." He finalized, ending it there. "So, what is it that has you stumped?"

Julius called Thoth 'too wise for his own good', and I always brushed it off. Now I could see it as Thoth sat down in a chair in the middle of the tables, the guitar resting beside it. "Hosting gods," I hesitated to start.

Thoth snorted at the thought, picking his guitar up to rest on his lap. "I could have sworn I handed you three this lecture fifteen years ago-" he recalled.

"Using an amulet?" My right eyebrow rose, for I didn't recall him putting much detail in it.

Thoth frowned now. "Why are you interested in that?" He peered at me with curiosity.

He'd never given me that kind of look before, and it seemed to make me shrink a bit. "My nephew and niece, they are wearing the amulets of Horus and Isis."

His eyes widened, and then proceeded to narrow after a few seconds. "You can't just drop that kind of news and not expect me to demand details."

I immediately shoved my hands in my coat's pockets, quickly searching out how to explain the current mess as best as I can. "Julius released them last night-"

Thoth interrupted with a groan of disapproval, standing up and placing the guitar on a stack of five books on the closest table. "All five siblings, the Demon Days?" He snarled in disgust. "What is your concern over?"

I shot him a nervous smile. "How do I go about _destroying_ an amulet of that kind?" I hesitated to ask.

Thoth's eyes narrowed, observing me as if he had never met me before. His expressions were starting to freak me out a bit. "Uh, Thoth?" I finally managed.

His eyes relaxed, a smirk in response as he nodded his head. "Trust me, you can't."

My eyes widened, shocked by his answer. "How did you get that from staring at me?" I demanded now, agitated towards such negativity.

"I am all knowing, Amos. Must I remind you again?" Thoth was in a much better mood now as he grabbed two glasses from another table. "Care for some ménage à trois?"

I blinked for a few seconds, taking in that he pulled out a red wine bottle. "When did you start drinking wine?" I finally managed after clearing my throat.

"You know that song _Last Friday Night_?" He started as he poured himself a glass anyways.

"Oh no, you can't be a Katy Perry fan," I quickly started. "If anything, stay as a fan of your own musical skill."

"Last I checked, Kane, you're not in control of what I listen to." Thoth pointed out. "And why must you dis my talent with a guitar? Are you jealous that I'm better at it than you are with your tenor?"

I pulled the collar of my suit from my neck, feeling like it was getting warmer in the building. "It's not that, Thoth. But why _her_? She can't sing if her life depended on it-"

"True, but her songs are catchy." Thoth raised his glass in agreement before taking a sip. "And besides, this is _really_ good wine."

"You let her advertise wine to you?" My right eyebrow rose.

"Oh give me a break will you?" Thoth rolled his eyes. "I'm just trying to keep in step with the modern world."

I snorted to that. "Trust me, you don't want to."

Thoth took another sip, eyes fixed on me as I felt like I was sweating. "You _sure_ you don't want a drink?" Thoth offered again.

"No, I have a list of things I need to do already," I informed. "So if you would just tell me _why_ I supposedly can't destroy these amulets, I'll be on my way."

Thoth sat down again, digging through his thoughts for a moment. "You can't because those amulets are what will protect your family."

I sighed now, taking my hands out of my pockets and leaning against the table behind me. "I think you've gotten a little mixed up, they are going to kill them."

Thoth aimed a large grin at me in reply. "Destroying the amulets will sever the connection they have with Horus and Isis."

"Yes, _that's_ the goal." I was getting agitated the longer I stayed here.

Thoth rolled his eyes now. "Do you recall my lectures on balance?"

"_Yes_, but-" I started.

"You can't for the sake of said balance." Thoth explained, as if it was the best excuse anyone could come up with. "You getting a fever or something?" He suddenly changed the subject.

"No, I think you have a heater on," I admitted.

Thoth smirked, "I don't, actually."

I blinked a few times, trying to figure out what was so funny on his part. "You _really_ should sit down. You look like you're going to collapse." Thoth urged, gesturing to the chair a foot away.

"This isn't a visit, Thoth. I thought I explained that already," I snapped. "I'm _way_ too busy to sit here and chat it up with you-"

"Okay, then why are you still here?" Thoth asked me now, taking another sip of the red wine. "I already told you it's impossible."

"No, you said that I can't." I corrected quickly, the room starting to become fuzzy.

Thoth rolled his eyes out of irritation. "Okay, fine," his voice gained an edge now. "Since you are so insistent, I have an errand for you."

A wave of dizziness caught me off guard, which I found myself on my hands and knees as Thoth got up to move the chair beside me. "Sit," he instructed as he grabbed my right arm to help me up.

"Sorry," I managed once I got on the chair.

"You mind if I give you some water instead then?" Thoth asked.

I shook my head, bracing my forehead with my hands, taking it that it felt like I was sticking my hands in a fireplace. Great, now I'm getting sick. Thoth shoved a glass of water in my face anyways. "Take it or else, Amos," Thoth snapped.

I lifted my right hand out to grab the cold glass from him. Then proceeded to chug it all down, thankful Thoth forced me to take it. "I can't believe this." I muttered under my breath. "Like I needed more problems added to the list."

Thoth sat down and kept his eyes on me as I continued grumbling. "You're welcome to stay until you feel better." Thoth offered, keeping his voice soft.

My eyes started watering as they burned. I closed my eyes to relax a little, starting to feel claustrophobic. "Amos?" Thoth asked after a few seconds, but I could feel myself falling into darkness without anything to grab onto to stop it.


	10. Chapter Nine: Michel Desjardins, the Oth

Chapter Nine – Michel Desjardins, the Other Big Shot

I woke up to dry wind striking my skin harshly. Covering my eyes quickly, I took in it was just a few dust devils picking up dirt rather than a sandstorm. Once the one throwing sand at me finally moved on, I sat up and looked around. _Phoenix, Arizona._

"How the-?" I wondered as I rubbed my eyes, taking in that the fever was still lingering.

My expression hardened as I took in I was on the outskirts of Phoenix, heading towards the Camelback Mountain. "That's nice Thoth; I'll remember to bring this up the next time I visit." I grumbled. "Fucking dropping me off in a red zone."

_Weird, Set's favorite color is red,_ I processed just as quickly.

I conjured myself a glass of water, chugging it down just like the glass Thoth had given me. Still, I felt like I was on fire despite how much water I had been ingesting. And dizzy, to the point that I really just felt like giving up and heading home to sleep it off.

_Can't do it though, too many things on the to-do list._

One of the dust devils approached me again, shooting dry wind my way as I watched it do a few circles before heading back the way it came. I could see why the Red Lord would pick a place like this. It was a fairly hot day from being Christmas and the air was hard to breathe thanks to being just as dry.

I chugged down another glass of water, wondering why it didn't seem to help much. Then I peered to my hard right, taking in the mountain in all of its glory. "Okay, better investigate and go back." I prepped myself to stand up.

Once I managed to keep my balance, a swirl of sand appeared ten feet before me. Alarmed, I stood up with my staff and wand at the ready. To my surprise, Michel stepped out first, followed by the Chief Lector. It disappeared with the wave of Iskandar's hand as they faced me, a little shocked as well.

"You!" Michel started out of the tense alarm we shared. "What are you doing running around here?"

"Running around." I snarled, not willing to tell him anything yet.

Iskandar rolled his eyes and raised his right hand to stop our heated fight. "I assume you are looking into the situation with the Red Lord as well?" He spoke calmly.

I nodded in his direction. "What brings the two of you here?" I decided to ask, curious as to why the Chief Lector would come along as well.

"We were going to observe Set's plans for a moment." Michel started coldly. "So you can scamper back home."

"No, he'll come back to the First Nome with us." Iskandar corrected.

My eyes widened to his words. "Chief Lector, is this in response to my insubordination last-" I started.

He chuckled a little. "No, in fact I approve your actions." He explained, Desjardins glared at me. "However, the Twenty-first Nome has been broken into. It's not a wise decision to go back alone."

My eyes widened, about to ask about Carter and Sadie when Michel interrupted. "On that thought, where were you?"

I faced him now, the heat in my face rose. "I was coming here to get an idea of what we are dealing with-" I defended.

"And you left your nephew and niece alone in the mansion?" He judged quickly. "They are at more risk than you, and you run off instead?"

"They were protected-"

"With Bast! I thought you said you don't consort with the gods, and you lied to me on that as well. What else do you have hiding up your sleeve?" He snapped.

Iskandar shook his head out of disgust. "The children are safe, Zia is watching over them in the First Nome as we speak. Amos, you must come with us. It sounds as if Set has yet to reveal his host, or perhaps pick one if what they say is true."

"Set always picks a host, just like the rest of them," Michel reminded quickly. "It's a matter of picking amongst ourselves to find where he is hiding."

"Follow the Blood of the Pharaohs. The arrogant gods like to harass the purest blood compared to mortal," Iskandar explained.

"But that won't narrow it down-" I continued.

"From the last time we saw him," Desjardins continued, "he said something along the lines of choosing powerful hosts. We will need to start from the top and go down."

Iskandar turned towards the mountains now. "Soon, but not yet. We need to take a look. Then Amos, you will be undergoing interrogation when we return to the First Nome. You have quite a bit to explain for the events of the past few days."

"_I_ have to explain?" I started.

"You're Julius's younger brother, closer to him than his own son," Michel stated. "And you broke numerous rules that you will have to take judgment on."

I almost felt like I was drowning in hate now. "I broke them for good reasons," I defended calmly.

"Oh yes, very good reasons," Iskandar nodded out of approval, "however, you still must answer as to why."

"Because the House of Life doesn't like rule breakers," Michel added quickly.

"Sounds like you're only after revenge on the Kanes to me," I snarled. "I'm sorry Desjardins, but I'm _not_ my brother."

"I've always liked you, Amos," Iskandar started suddenly before Michel could retaliate. "Always the rule breaker, the one to test the limits. Always trying new ways to achieve the ultimate goal compared to the rest who follow the past. Why you two suddenly can't get along is beyond my understanding. But I will tell you it has nothing to do with blaming Julius's actions on you."

"Otherwise you would be dead by now," Desjardins added quickly.

"No, you would rather blame it on the entire Kane family instead," I started coldly. "I'm sorry Chief Lector, but it appears I no longer belong within the Per Ankh."

Michel took my words as a threat as Iskandar gave me a worried look in his eyes. "Amos Kane," he started calmly, "the Per Ankh doesn't blame you for Julius's foolishness. You tried to seek reason in him beyond the insane route he traveled yesterday, but you are not the cause."

"If you leave the Per Ankh, you are officially considered an enemy!" Desjardins declared.

"Like I don't feel it already!" I snapped in response.

"Cease this bickering at once!" Iskandar's voice roared over the sand, making Michel and I stand out of alarm to such anger leaving him. "Amos, we only need a firm grasp of understanding the damage Julius has caused. You are _not_ an enemy." He faced Michel now, "And _you_ must ease off on the rules. I don't see why you have taken such a strong position in following them when _you_ used to break them as well."

Michel kept eye contact with Iskandar. "Sir, I didn't summon gods to destroy our world," he reminded coldly, "and I most certainly have not communicated with them on a friendly basis as Amos has. Amos has lied to us within the past few days. Placing trust in him is foolhardy-"

Iskandar shook his head before he could snap. "I trained the three of you because I saw the potential. You are sons in my eyes, despite being handfuls all the time I appreciate having such an understanding bond. I trust Amos as I trust you, Michel. Maybe even more because of his constant studies. Don't break off your past ties because of tension Julius and the gods have created."

Silence as Michel and I took in his words, Iskandar faced me again. "Amos, you happen to be the fourth most powerful magician, and the blood of the pharaohs run through you. I fear the worst, but I must look into it myself."

"You think Set has-" Michel started angrily.

"No," I answered quickly. "Set likes to possess. If it was true, this conversation wouldn't be on any friendly grounds."

Iskandar waved our words off. "Amos, meet us at the First Nome," he instructed.

"Sorry, but I said I would take a glance at his workings," I stood my ground.

"Sir, he obviously isn't going to obey," Michel started, "and he will break more rules if we try to stay on good terms."

Iskandar peered at me with upset eyes. "I would rather not have a wild card in our midst," he admitted. "If you refuse, Desjardins will have no other choice but to hold you off."

I was set on fighting Michel when he came through the portal. "Sorry Iskandar, I can't stand on the sidelines any longer," I finalized. "Don't blame Carter and Sadie for my actions; I stand alone on this score."

He sighed and took a step back, Desjardins ready to fight. Iskandar left without another word, leaving us glaring at one another. "Amos Kane, you stand as an enemy to the Per Ankh. You have broken our laws on repeated occasions. Now you turn your back to us in the midst of crisis. Prepare to be eaten by Ammit at your judgment."

I readied my staff in response, eyes still locked on his. Honestly, I never would have guessed fifteen years ago that we would end up hating each other as we do now. "Desjardins, I consider you a backstabbing friend of the Kane family. If anyone ends up getting eaten, it will be you."

He smirked in response as he slammed his staff to the sand, a small tremor under my feet as I told myself to move. However, I think the fever slowed me down a bit, as I barely got out of the way of the forming crevice.

_Destroy the staff._

I aimed my focus on my enemy's staff, letting the word spill out from my lips with much familiarity. That threw him off as he had tried to slam his staff against the ground to find it disintegrate in his hands. "You dare to break a magician's staff?" Michel snapped, yanking a small shabti out in response.

I took in which one it was a little late as he tossed it between us as it grew into the towering giant. "Defend me and send Amos Kane to the Afterlife!" Michel commanded.

In reply, I threw my staff, which it formed into a very pissed off snake. It only last five seconds against the warrior shabti, earning me a little bit of distance as it turned back into the staff. _Lame_.

I proceeded to dodge the shabti chasing me down without second thought. Then narrowly missed a swipe of its sword to grab my staff, which Michel tried to go after himself. I blocked a strike from his sword with my staff and backed off as quickly as I could, but the helper, on Michel's end, ran towards me anyways. I summoned my shield with a quick slam of my staff to the sand for the shabti to only scratch it.

"A'max," I spoke quickly.

The shabti screamed as it melted into ash, Michel ready to fight me himself, khopesh drawn. In a different case, I probably would have laughed at this. Desjardins wasn't skilled in combat magic, he always kept to earth and Divine Words. He only picked one up because Julius mocked him, and he wasn't going to have someone shoot down his ego. This time, it was meant as a last resort.

_Tornado, that'll stop him._

I paused, Michel ready to launch in seconds as I tried to understand why such a thought crossed my mind. Then my right arm rose, my lips moving without my control. Michel jumped right into a dust devil. He screamed in surprise as I stood in alarm, my mouth dry again. Then I waved my arm, slashing through the newly formed funnel to drop Michel.

_What did you do that for?_ The voice continued, a little pissed off as my head pounded.

"A-Amos?" Michel started, fear in his eyes.

My head was racing, trying to figure out why the voice sounded so familiar. Michel finally stood up, brushing the sand off. Alarmed by his movement, I readied for the fight to continue. After a few seconds, I took in that Desjardins didn't look willing to continue, rather like he had been mentally stabbed at.

The chill from last night was now far colder than it was, and I now feared what pair of eyes were set on me as I took a step back. "Sorry Michel, looks like I have even bigger problems than you." I finalized before transforming into the ibis and took off.

"Amos!" Michel yelled out, but I heard only sadness from it instead of anger.


	11. Chapter Ten: Carter Thinks He's a Ninja

Chapter Ten – Carter Thinks He's a Ninja

I hastily transformed back from the ibis that I violently struck the ground at the foot of the mountain. Dizzy and panicked, I slowly eased myself to sit. After sitting there for about two minutes, my thoughts started to reorganize themselves to the point that I started reviewing everything. The more I started to piece it out, the worse the freak out.

_"You can't stop me!"_ He chuckled; his voice didn't match the seventeen-year-old he was holding up in. _"Your pathetic House as grown weaker as the years go by. Think about it, it took you a week to finally find me. It used to be seven minutes to find hosts!"_

_"Shut the hell up!"_ Julius' usual temper snapped out, staff readying for a good fight.

_"What makes you think that your little trio can do anything?"_ Set demanded of us, large grin still imprinted in my thoughts like a nightmare on its own.

And the voice matched… I told myself I was hallucinating, but I continued thinking about it and grew certain. I even went about piecing out how it probably occurred. My hands shook as the fever still lingered, if that's what it even is.

_You should investigate the mountain._ I grew nervous now, trying to decide if it was me or not.

After a bit, I forced myself to calm down, telling myself I was overthinking it. Either way, I _still_ needed to see what is going on. I finally managed to stand up again, didn't bother trying to dust off the sand caught on my clothing as I started observing the Camelback Mountain.

I walked a bit until I found a cave leading in. Certain that it wasn't naturally made, I pulled my staff out and took a deep breath before stepping in. My staff instantly glowed blue in reply. The light illuminating off the walls seemed to comfort me a little, urging me to continue despite only being able to see three feet ahead.

Despite that thought, I told myself to watch my step. However, the further I got in, the weirder the cave floor became. It appeared as if traps were set, but then they started to overlap as I avoided the first few. Once I managed to find my footing amongst the mess of lines, they suddenly stopped, the cave floor left bare.

That's when I spotted a ba watching me in silence. It seemed familiar, but I didn't draw attention to him. Most don't appreciate eye contact, some even consider it a challenge if you move wrong. But after a while, I took in the confused pair of eyes it was staring at me with.

_Gods Carter, you could try to hide for once._ I scolded once I pieced it together.

I took a step forward, preparing to confront him on ba travel again, when a red light interrupted me. I looked at the source to find I stepped on a trap, the one I was _supposed_ to look out for. I immediately responded with a scream, but it was quickly ceased as red light wrapped my legs in place, then proceeded to paralyze me completely.

_Get the hell out of here._ I wanted to scream at my nephew, still floating like a moron a few feet before me.

The familiar laugh rang off the walls, signaling an explosion of demons from the darkness to swarm around me. I praised demon stupidity for a moment, for they didn't seem to notice the ba witnessing their ambush.

Only a moment, because the worst decided to show himself. He formed in front of me, grinning his dog-like teeth at me with amusement in his eyes. "_Bon soir_, Amos," Set welcomed greedily. "How nice of you to come. We're going to have so much fun!"

_Highly doubtful_. I snarled, wishing I could blast him before he could see him.

_Oh, you're worried about him?_ Set's voice rang in my skull. _Trust me, I don't see a reason to attack little Carter, not like that anyways._

"I was looking forward to your arrival; I even saved you a good spot to oversee our progress." Set continued aloud, but I noticed Carter was finally gone. "Do me a favor, Face of Horror, accommodate our guest."

"Yes, my lord." A rooster-like demon bowed as Set disappeared into the air.

"Alright, you heard him!" The demon's tone quickly turned to authority. "Carry him in."

Roughly ten started to move me forward when Set's lieutenant abruptly halted them. "You morons, you can't move him off of the trap!" Face of Horror snapped, which I deemed he was named well. "You have to take it with him."

"How do we do that?" One weird cat/lizard piped up.

_Demons are hardly worth the time, sorry._ Set's voice continued to ring in my head, distracting me from my own thoughts.

I had hoped they would have pushed me off the trap; I even started planning a series of spells to escape until he broke it into several pieces by simply talking. Just the thought of it confirmed the fear I tried to hide from myself.


	12. Chapter Eleven: A Statue and Throne Dedi

Chapter Eleven – A Statue and Throne Dedicated to Set

They placed me just a foot away from the foundation of the pyramid, making sure I would have a good view of their progress. So far, they just finished the base, planning the rooms as a few dragged a sarcophagus into the middle, making sure it was exact.

"So, you like the scene?" Set formed on my right, now taking up his common fiery form. "Just barely hallowed out the mountain to fit it."

_Like I give a damn._

Set smirked, "of course you don't. But I like to brag, and you know demons are _not_ worth talking to. Besides, you're _far_ more entertaining than your brother."

Almost on cue, the five demon's carrying the sarcophagus dropped it, letting a loud boom shake the pyramid, red dust spreading out into the air. "Though I _do_ prefer talking with him. You're not as pompous, but you certainly are concerned for him no matter your own situation."

I quickly started to think of how to go about blocking him. _They don't teach it because you can't._ Set's voice grinned, he might as well have laughed to earn the same effect from me.

"You shouldn't fear me, Kane." Set started, now leaning his left arm against my staff. "I'm about to teach you a valuable lesson, one you don't seem to realize you're lacking."

_I'm not in the mood to take notes from the likes of you._ I replied, knowing now that he was observing everything going through my mind.

Set smirked as he finally stopped leaning. "Is _anyone_? But you never know, you might actually appreciate what I have to share with you."

I was starting to really hate myself for focusing on my nephew the longer this continued. "Yes, nephews really are annoying, aren't they?" Set dusted some red sand off his armor. "Now, we have more pressing matters. This would be concerning our brothers."

_We are not the same just because Julius is hosting your brother_, I snapped.

Set rolled his eyes. "Of course not, this is on the matter of how you _view_ your older brother, Amos."

Okay, he honestly threw me off on that one. Set gestured his right hand to me and practically floated me behind him until we were both before Osiris' prison. "Hello again, brother Osiris, Julius." Set started as he harshly let me fall to the foundation. "Julius, I think you would be pleased to hear that your family is coming as an audience to your stupidity."

The sarcophagus responded by violently shaking, a panicked scream barely audible. "Hey now, you may want to tone down your crying." Set's eyes gleamed in entertainment. "We have a guest already, and he's not accustomed to you getting emotional around him."

That didn't seem to help much, in fact the entire pyramid was starting to shake. Set sighed as he faced me. "You see Amos, even the most pompous fall to panic. Your dear brother isn't the 'hero' you have been led to believe."

_Shut up, you don't have a right to talk to me about this-_

"I do now," Set's smile beamed. "I already know, but you should think of it yourself, Kane. How many times did Julius get in trouble for the things you two did? And with that, how many times were _you_ praised for the things the two of you did?"

Julius seemed to give up on breaking the prison, but continued making fearful sounds. "Stop feeling empathetic, Amos." Set snarled. "Focus, I know you're not that dumb to not know."

_ "Now Julius," his eyes stayed on my brother. "I need you to encourage your brother to take up something decent."_

_ My eyes widened to that. "Honey," our mother protested against him, as if ashamed he was saying this._

_ "What?" He immediately turned to his wife. "You know just as well as I do that shabti making isn't worth a damn. But that's all he is interested in; he doesn't want to take up anything else."_

_ "I don't know Dad, Amos is really good at it-" Julius tried to defend._

_ "Julius," he returned his eyes to his oldest son. "You make us proud; a combat magician in the Kane family is a perfect fit. However, statuary magic doesn't work with our reputation."_

_ Our mother's eyes narrowed in reply. "The Chief Lector could have your head for saying such things-"_

_ "This has nothing to do with him." He responded hastily. "This is about us. And if Amos is unwilling to try something worthwhile of a Kane, he may as well be disowned."_

"Holding a conversation about their youngest born all the while he was eavesdropping, am I correct?" Set stopped forcing the old memory through my thoughts.

_Just so you know, Set._ I started, angry to the reminder that I had purposely shoved away. _I picked up a few things since that day._

"Sure you did, but you still didn't match up to your father's impression of what a Kane stands for." Set continued. "And how did you end up responding to that kind of disappointment? You _aid_ your brother and let him take the credit that _you_ actually deserved."

_Shut up, I don't need to hear this._ I started to feel like crying to the open wound.

"Trust me, you do," Set reassured. "No one else will tell you how wrong it is, but I will be bold enough to tell you like it is. For you, your brother releasing me is perhaps the best thing that could occur."

Images of violently punching the God in the face rushed through, and I let them so he could tell how pissed I am. But he ignored it and observed the sarcophagus a bit. Then, with a gesture of his hands, metal off the sarcophagus spiked out, some even went around mending it to the stone it was sitting on. Once it stopped, Set observed it a little longer with approval. "A throne worthy of Set, don't you think?" He asked as he peered back at me. "Even you, Amos."

_What is wrong with you?_ I snapped. _How about you just get to killing me?_

"Ha! _Killing_ you? Do you not understand your situation yet?" Set laughed as he carefully sat on the throne, letting his legs stretch on the rest of the sarcophagus. "I can read your thoughts without using telepathy."

_You are known to kill your hosts-_ I explained.

"_I_ didn't kill them, that was everyone else," Set defended quickly. "That's why I'm offering you a chance to reward yourself alongside me."

_What are you talking about?_

"Quite simple, really," Set started as if bored. "Let's see, I believe the orders you had were to 'kill the host and banish me' right?"

_Why should the hosts have to suffer death just to banish you?_ I snapped, really wanting to find a way out of the trap.

"Exactly my point," Set grinned, as if he just exchanged a big secret with me. "You went and did something against everyone else, to achieve the same goal."

_I know what you're doing,_ I scorned immediately. _Revenge for banishing you-_

Set raised his hand, stopping me from continuing. "When we faced each other that day, I saw how your brother treated you. Osiris does the exact same thing towards me. I'm the odd one out, _just_ like you."

_Shut up,_ I started to plead.

"And tell me, Amos, who got credit for that?" Set continued anyways. "Somehow, I get the feeling that is wasn't you."

_ "How is he?" Julius asked, concern lining his tone as Caroline sighed out of slight irritation._

_ "He's recovering, slowly but surely," she could barely manage. "Still hasn't been able to respond to us yet, but I think he knows what is going on around him."_

_ He hesitated to peer back at me. "Hey Amos, glad to see your awake."_

_ Caroline's hands balled up, her eyes fixed on him as he hesitated to look back at her. "What-"_

_ "You know what!" She snapped, her voice wanting to break to her volume._

_ Julius just gave her a blank stare for half a minute before clearing his throat. "I don't think I-"_

_ "How could you just let them hand that kind of credit to you?" Her amber eyes narrowed, as if trying to hold back from crying. "Why didn't you stand up and tell them it was him?"_

_ "I can't do anything about it, they just jump to conclusion-" His hands spread as if to show he was clueless._

_ "You are a selfish bastard." Caroline cried out. "And yet you have the gall to come here and even pretend that you give a damn about your brother?"_

_ "Hey," Julius snapped now. "It's either I take credit, or he gets in trouble-"_

_ Caroline brushed his excuse off quickly, sitting in the chair she had been in for a few days now. "You didn't even think about it. You just thought of yourself, yet again."_

_ Julius' eyes narrowed. "Whatever Smith, I can't even explain it to you. You can resent me as much as you want." He stormed off, not another word from him._

_ Caroline sighed and faced me, her gold eyes struggling to look happy._

"Oh, and let's not forget the whole San Francisco Incident," Set snapped the memory away. "I'll spare you the review because I think you are getting the idea."

_Are you trying to get me to side with you?_ I demanded.

Set smirked in reply, "What's so bad about it, Kane? Isn't this your time to shine-"

_You are pathetic,_ I interrupted as he glared at me, _can't you see it in that mess of memories you are going through? I'm not influenced by greed._

"Everyone is, you just keep it hidden." Set continued, a greedy look in his eyes.

"Master, he is here to see you," Face of Horror hopped towards the throne.

Set frowned for a quick second. "I'm having a conversation with my guest, can't you see that?" He snapped, fire in his eyes as the minion shrunk in reply.

"I'm sorry, my lord, but he insists to see you now-" His voice trembled, fearing the God.

Set waved it off, "of course, he's quite impatient." He sighed before standing from the 'throne' and faced me once Face of Horror left. "If you refuse to see my side of things, I can always just keep you as a statue to match my newly crafted throne. I'll come back for your decision."


	13. Chapter Twelve: The Thinking Process of

Chapter Twelve – The Thinking Process of a Storm Cloud

_"Hold on," Julius reread what his eyes just scanned on the scroll. "Whoa, this is one messed up God."_

_ "Because you couldn't already tell from his obsession with chaos or anything," I muttered under my breath out of boredom, earned a light jab from Michel's right elbow._

_ "Did you hear how he was born?" Julius' right eyebrow rose questioningly._

_ "You sure this is your brother?" Michel asked teasingly as Julius' eyes narrowed from insult._

_ I sighed and sat up in my chair, facing my brother now. "Tore through Nut's stomach, meaning impatient and selfish."_

_ "If he can't even honor his mother with a proper birth, you can tell he is a bad seed." Michel added on._

_ "You guys realize that's not_ _how it works, right?" Julius' eyebrows raised a little again._

_ I snarled in reply, knowing where he was going with this as Michel flicked his wrist to roll the scroll Julius was reading. "I think I can speak for all three of us that we don't need a review," Michel confirmed as he took the scroll. "And I'm sure by now that Amos is well educated for having you as his brother."_

_ Julius' mouth dropped, I couldn't hide the grin stirring from within as Michel went about grabbing everything from the table. "What is that supposed to mean?" Julius finally managed after half a minute._

_ I cleared my throat as Michel decided not to reply, leaving us in the library. "I'm pretty sure he just called you a man-whore."_

_ "I am not!" Julius stood up; eyes looked ready to set everything on fire. "Come on, you know that's not true, I haven't even had a date for crying out loud!"_

_ "Then don't get so defensive and focus on the situation at hand," I suggested quickly._

_ Julius' expression hardened as he proceeded to follow me out. "What can go wrong? What is this weirdo even going to do? Take a host and cry to his mom about how he can change?"_

_ I rolled my eyes; this was going to be one of those things he will not ever let go once he finds out. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he figured out a nickname to yell out at the Red Lord to remind him of it. "He's the God of Chaos, Julius. Crying isn't in his repertoire," I started to explain._

_ "There you go tossing French words around again," Julius was quick to complain._

_ "If it bothers you so much, study," I suggested._

_ "Or I can just wait until you find a spell to translate everything for me." Julius smirked as I just shook my head in response._

_ "It means what someone is capable of, generally skill-wise." I explained quickly. "A better example sentence would be: my dear older brother has found no need to familiarize foreign languages into his repertoire."_

_ "Well, aren't you the clever one?" Julius rolled his eyes._

They dug a trench around the throne after putting me back where I was before my horrid talk with Set. I'm not sure how much time passed, but they were rather fast workers for being quite dumb. Face-of-Horror had to be on stand-by the majority of the time, making sure everything was just right. Maybe Set threatened to melt the rest of his face off if he didn't, though I would probably consider that an improvement.

Speaking of demons, there were a few that found it amusing to seeing a magician frozen at the planned entryway of the pyramid. So amusing, they would actually entertain themselves by dancing; dances that humans would find humiliating to try themselves. Or sing a lyric line just to mock me, and then lose all sense of rhythm that they would just eventually give up. (Which I think should be considered a victory on my end.)

Set was nowhere to be seen since our talk. Don't get me wrong, it was nice not having to put up with him completely, but I was finding myself worrying over who this other guest of his was. Set is well known to deceive; it could be another God he is recruiting into his ranks, or a magician.

Gods are predictable, once you catch on to their plans, you can pretty much cut them off before they succeed. Magicians, on the other hand, are perhaps the worst thing for you to even try tracking down. It should be common knowledge that when dealing with a rouge magician, be wary of any spells they have studied on outside of their skill.

_"Uh, what?" Julius' eyes bulged as Michel let out an irritated sigh._

_ Michel quickly turned to me, "_ _Votre frère comprend-il l'anglais ?"_

_ I braced my head against the table, trying not to laugh. "Julius, what do you not understand about it?"_

_ "Well, she loves him, doesn't she?" Julius wondered. "So why did she suddenly get up and check out her other brother?"_

_ Stumped silence for a minute before Michel cleared his throat. "We know that Set isn't that great of a person to be around, he's selfish. Perhaps she realized too late and ran to Osiris?" Michel offered._

_ I sat up again, ready to spill the thoughts running in my head since we starting researching on the Red Lord a week ago. "The way his siblings are acting, they kind of molded Set into what he is."_

_ Julius' eyes narrowed now out of confusion. "Elaborate for us please?"_

_ "Mai par Ankh célèbre, Jules finalement utilisant un grand mot !" Michel teased, and Julius caught on that it was something mean without really understanding 'gibberish talk'._

_ "Well, Set probably deserved the throne over Osiris," I hesitated to start. "He defended Ra, what was Osiris doing?"_

_ "Enjoying his wife more than likely," Julius butted in._

_ "And we know what Isis was doing, planning to get her husband on the throne. Pretty much stole it from Ra and Set with that move-"_

_ "Osiris is the oldest," Michel reminded swiftly._

_ Quiet overtook our little study group, with the exception of shabtis scurrying around the library. "Let's go through the list of what Set has done against his family too, this can't be a pity party for him," Julius suggested. "He trapped his brother in a box and then proceeded to chase down Horus and Isis. And once they found Osiris, Set proceeded to tear his brother into fourteen pieces and spread it around Egypt, making his sister and nephew hunt down those pieces-"_

_ "You can't forget that Nephthys helped them find those pieces as well," Michel added._

_ "Okay, obviously Set and Nephthys are on bad terms, can we please move on from this topic?" I urged, earning a small grin from Julius as Michel nodded in agreement._

_ "Sounds like you're a bit distressed Amos," Julius was sly to start. "Maybe you should ask Caroline out-"_

_ "Shove it," I was quick to interrupt, but Michel gave me an interested look now._

_ "Are we talking Caroline Smith, descendant of Cleopatra? The one who wrote the second-best report on her ancestor?" Michel wondered._

_ "You said it was the best," Julius was quick to remind._

_ "Well, yours doesn't count Julius because, as I already stated, I knew you had Amos write it for you." Michel rubbed it back in his face, making Julius' head lower in response. "It would have been the best, if the name was correct. Now, we are no longer in class, so let's continue our review instead."_

_ "You haven't been our teacher in two years, so I think it's time we moved on from those roles," I pointed out to the other two. "As I was saying, Set is one of the few who actually worked to protect Lord Ra; his siblings were just sitting on their asses-"_

_ Julius coughed to interrupt, which I narrowed my eyes out of irritation, "with the exception of Isis," I added for his sake. "And if we want to base this on age, Set deserved it after Osiris-"_

_ "You really think it's a good idea to let a deceptive God like him be the Great House?" Michel asked, right eyebrow rose._

_ "Who ever said Horus is better than his uncle?" I asked now, waiting for a good answer. "Those two are always fighting, and somehow Horus is better?"_

_ "Um, Horus is older than Set," Julius added on. "Come on, you're the bookworm, why are we telling you this again?"_

_ I proceeded to rub my eyes now, "I was meaning after the whole brother/sister thing, but yes, Horus is older than Set."_

_ "Why are you trying to even relate to the Red Lord, Amos?" Michel asked, a hint of worry in his tone._

_ I sighed as I faced them again, "He might be just misunderstood."_

_ "No, I think we all caught that he's a lunatic," Julius turned to Michel for support, who just frowned in response._

_ Michel sighed, facing Julius now. "Julius, did you even read the report Amos wrote for you?" He asked, but not in a testing mood, rather curious instead._

_ Julius gave out a nervous laugh in reply, "Honestly? No."_

_ "Narmer was a host of Horus, and he went about unifying Lower and Upper Egypt by fighting the Eye of Set," Michel informed quickly before I could._

_ "Ugh, I know that already," Julius complained, "our father keeps repeating it."_

_ "All we know is Horus' side, not so much Set," I continued. "You know, he was actually a respectable God before the family feud, Egypt worshiped him quite a bit. In doing so, he made sure that foreign countries lost in battles-"_

_ "That was before, he's changed," Michel interrupted._

_ "Because of the struggle to unify Egypt," I finalized. "Then everyone proceeded to label him as everything unknown and chaotic, making him the enemy."_

_ "Which is why we need to research on him until his host is found," Michel continued. "I suggest for your own sake, Amos, not to feel empathetic towards him. He won't care about it; he'll still want to kill you in the long run."_

"Have you decided yet?" If it wasn't for the trap, I'm pretty sure I would have jumped two feet off the ground to his sudden appearance.

_Because I had so much to think over…_

"You really are stubborn; I figured that was just an act your family liked to pull off." Set smirked as he took me in. "That is a pity, Amos. We could make great partners."

The unfortunate thought of him chasing and raping Horus abruptly came up, which earned a quick snarl from the God himself. "Not like that, and that was only once!"

_Doesn't make it any better._

"I was _meaning_ partners-in-crime, don't play stupid." I made a mental note of his reaction. "But you seem to leave me no choice on the matter."

Before I could even ask, he abruptly took a step forward, flicking his right hand. The beaming red in my vision dissipated, my fingers trembled as I took in that the trap was removed. My mind raced, recalling the set of spells I planned out, but he reacted quicker as a stream of red smoke seeped into my clothing.

I fell to my knees, feeling as if I was just set on fire as the red finally ceased. My hands shook as I tried to organize my thoughts in the mess. Set clicked his tongue three times in disapproval. "Bonnie nuit," he grinned as my vision clouded.

**Alright, translation time!**

**Votre frère comprend-il l'anglais ?**** - ****Does your brother understand English?**

**Mai par Ankh célèbre, Jules finalement utilisant un grand mot ! - ****May the Per Ankh celebrate, Julius finally using a big word!**

**Bonnie nuit**** - ****Good night**

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**Updating is going to take a little longer now thanks to Writers Block.**


	14. Chapter Thirteen: The Dark Wall Staring

**Thank you for reviewing! I'll be posting two chapters today.**

**To save confusion, this chapter starts with a memory, I just didn't want to italicize it.**

**I don't own the Kane Chronicles.**

Chapter Thirteen- The Dark Wall Staring Back

It was raining, quite harshly actually for being a ten percent chance. I didn't manage to get any sleep, the rain echoed off of the ceiling. Or maybe I was making excuses? Home sick, though I preferred being in this strange Nome over Brooklyn House. Why can't I ever make up my mind? Honestly.

Three days ago, Michel found me breaking into the library in the First Nome. It was three in the morning, and I couldn't get any sleep, mind racing to the slightest interest in how a healer goes about talking to the unconscious. I had given in and tested my luck, I only got so far as the first step. As you can see, the Chief Lector was thoroughly upset, though a little amused to my reasoning. Parents found out just as quick, making Brooklyn dangerous for me to even think about entering.

Julius, apparently feeling that he needed to step in, asked several magicians if I could stay in their Nome during the break. Usual answer? No, and some of them didn't even bother coming up with exotic excuses as to why. I didn't see why he even asked, I was more than willing to put up with our father threatening to disown.

Except for her. Rumors spread rather quickly about Julius' pleas. A week of this nonsense and she suddenly approached Julius, offering to let me stay with her. Gods of Egypt, that made me sound like an insane five-year-old.

I exhaled slowly, taking in the cold breeze from the open window. I had hoped that the rain would help ease my mind, but it didn't. Being in a new Nome made me uncomfortable too, staring up at a blank ceiling that I didn't want to familiarize with.

Being in Miami wasn't awful, I rather enjoyed seeing Caroline outside of the First Nome. Recently, we started group studying, comparing notes on pretty much everything. Healing, sympathetic, and elemental magic was the usual categories. The weird part about it was the fact that we simply did so out of 'fun'. Like our contorted way of communicating with each other. Otherwise, it was quiet between us, an uncomfortable shyness that we bounced between ourselves.

I closed my eyes, but I knew I couldn't sleep no matter how much I try. It was starting to get to the point that I pass out while reading during the day, but that pretty much depended on the topic the book is centered on. The dark wall staring back at me seemed to be highly intriguing, making me think over everything twice. Maybe it was best not being in Brooklyn, knowing that Julius would probably worry himself over it.

I opened my eyes again and sat up finally. The clock read two, three hours of overthinking everything. I sighed and stood up, slowly making my way to the door as to not wake anyone else up.

I don't know if it's a good thing or not, but I've become a specialist in sneaking around during the early morning; not including the incident that got me here in the first place. Or maybe people learned to ignore me, rolling their eyes and going back to sleep. Either way, they didn't draw attention, which is just fine with me.

I closed the door behind me slowly, only making a whisper of a click, and then proceeded down the stairs. The Sixty-Seventh Nome wasn't too different from the Twenty-First. There were more people on the count of everyone having good reputation compared to the Kane family. And I'll admit, I could tell it had a woman's touch to it with silk curtains and everything having lace. That's probably what's been provoking my awkwardness more than anything.

I slowly slide the glass door open leading to the balcony. I found a familiar face leaning against the railing, her hair loosely dripping from the rain, eyes peering down at the city. _Oh great, now you are really turning into a creeper._

I hesitated, closing the door behind me and took a step forward. She didn't notice, her focus was absorbed into something else other than her surroundings. _How do I break the ice?_ I thought quickly.

Then made the amazing move of clearing my throat, almost making her jump as she turned wildly. "Oh, ever heard of knocking?" She teased as she quickly went to ease her pulse.

"Sorry, I was trying to shoot for casual," I smiled as I approached, standing beside the railing as she kept her eyes on me.

A small smirk appeared, "Amos, there's absolutely nothing casual about you."

"So they keep telling me." I went to observing the city view, "What were you looking at?"

Caroline sighed, eyes still on me, "I wasn't really looking at the view."

I faced her now, noting how quickly the rain soaked my clothes. "Then what are you thinking about?"

"Well," her amber eyes drifted back to the illuminating lights, "I was just thinking about things."

"Wow, I do that too," I added jokingly, "though I'm sure we differ on what we're thinking about the majority of the time."

She laughed a bit, facing me again, "Have you been thinking about the future?"

"Not as an obsession," I admitted.

She sighed, fingers tracing the wood of the railing. "You have a few more years before you have to think much on it," she continued. "Before we left, one of the older magicians had mentioned our plans for our lives. Cover stories, what we want to be beyond our studies."

The rain was starting to slow as I watched her eyes observe the railing along with her fingers. "And what have you decided so far?"

She lifted her hand from the railing, inhaling sharply before facing me again. "I want to freely move around the world, meet new people, and experience everything it has to offer," she spoke with eagerness before sighing, turning away from the balcony edge. "And I picked the worst skill of magic to do so. Rekhet? You're pretty much sentencing yourself to the Nomes."

"No one ever said that," I pointed out quickly.

She turned to me again, a look testing me to prove her wrong. "There's always groups of magicians working under Iskandar. And I hear he's always looking to make new squadrons. A healer would be beneficial to have."

"For me to stand in the background until needed?" Her eyes loosened a little, but only out of annoyance.

"You could always be a mobile magician," I offered.

"Nome Hopper? Is it me or do they all seem like they haven't taken a shower in ten years?" Caroline waved the idea away.

"That might actually be true," I smiled to see her slouch, leaning her right hand against the balcony. "What do you want me to say?" I finally gave in.

Her expression hardened, "That I worked too hard to ditch for my own interests."

My left hand tightened, if my cousin were here, she would have eased this into something about archery minutes ago. "Doesn't personal happiness count before others?"

"You're implying I drop everything I worked on as a healer to go chase some version of happiness?" She shook her head.

Awkward silence again, but I was starting to realize it was common between us, and I utterly despised it. Could a two-year difference really be that different? "Well," I hesitated to start, keeping my eyes on her as she fidgeted with her hands, "since we are discussing future plans, I'm going to make mine now."

She faced me; the moon hit her eyes perfectly to shine. "Oh?"

"Yep," I let go of the balcony, "but it depends on if you want part of it or not."

Shock was written perfectly in her facial features, but I continued anyways. "I have been considering joining one of those groups under Iskandar; Julius has been nagging me about it. But of course, they want more than just two people in a group, and I'm sure someone to make sure we stay in line."

She laughed at the last bit, "I can just see it now, a demon getting away simply because you two start arguing over who should get the first hit."

"Oh hey, we're not _that_ bad," I defended in good humor. "I would allow him the first; I wouldn't let anything get away over something so petty. And besides, one of us has to be the mature one."

"And that has you written all over, does it?" She joked.

"No, pretty sure we know that," I added as my smile beamed to her laugh. "That's why we'd need someone who can put up with us."

She rolled her eyes now. "Or you could have just asked me out on a date, get the same results I'm sure."

I froze as she peered back at me, amusement playing across her expression. "Anyways, what are you doing out here?" She wondered.

"Um, couldn't sleep," I recalled, almost forgetting about it.

She frowned immediately, "I'm starting to believe you're an insomniac."

"I'd lean towards hyperactive-brain," I admitted. "And I'm not the only one who's up."

She smiled a little now. "As we can see," she humored. "And on that note, I will now head to bed." She suddenly leaned towards me and planted her kiss on my left cheek, making me blush uncontrollably. "I know I probably just made it worse, but you should try to get some sleep too," she added before leaving.

I watched the glass door close behind her, leaving me to my embarrassment on the balcony. It was during this that I realized it had ceased to rain, leaving a slight breeze to keep the morning air cool. _Why didn't I make the move?_ I questioned myself.

* * *

_You can bring her back, make things right again._

My mind raced, it never seemed possible to bring someone back. Maybe there was a way? Something Osiris would keep quiet on for the sake of his title.

_Aid me, together we will fix the world to how it should be. The throne will be yours, and your queen beside you._

I was starting to snap out of it, realizing the voice wasn't my own thoughts, though he did do his best to camouflage it. _You know how to bring back the dead?_ I spoke critically.

_Oh yes, don't question my ability to find Osiris' secrets._ The darkness rang with his voice. _You failed to save her, now is your chance to fix it._

The possibility gave me a sudden surge of hope. _All I require is power, Amos. We must gather the other three, bring them to the pyramid. Then you can live without regret. I will rid of Horus and Isis hosting's, Carter and Sadie can attempt a normal magician life. Everything back to where it belongs._

I found myself tempted, but a nagging feeling was telling me not to. _Don't question me, you are my favored one. We want the same things._

* * *

_"You killed her!" Her mother screamed, Julius trying his best to defend me from the family._

_ "He saved us, he did the best he could," Julius made sure there was a ten-foot distance between Caroline's father and I. "There wasn't a chance she was going to recover-"_

_ "If she hadn't known the two of you, she would be safe at home!" Mr. Smith snapped, tears running down his face. "She was our only child, you took her away."_

* * *

I didn't do my best, I've known that for years. And I've dwelled in guilt from it, taking blame from everyone for killing her. But it didn't matter what they said, the worst one to point the finger was myself.

_Yield, Amos._


	15. Chapter Fourteen: Inferno of the Red Lor

Chapter Fourteen- Inferno of the Red Lord

I had read writings on hosting Gods. The older scrolls spoke of some ultimate yet deadly bond, something I couldn't really wrap my head around. What caught my eye on the subject were the avatars, the sudden bonus of magic thrown in thanks to the God/Goddess. Even Julius perked up when I mentioned it, saying something along the lines of combat magic.

Trust me; this wasn't something any scribe could describe on paper. They didn't say anything about your vision possibly changing colors, or the rush you would get. All they had written down was each Gods' powers they give their hosts.

I hate to admit it, but the rush was amazingly addicting. As if I could do anything, the world cannot find a way to stop me no matter what. Anything was possible now; I could even turn my brother's mistake into a complete win situation for the rest of the Kanes.

_The House is hunting the children. We must cease it, they'll kill them._

I found myself on the outskirts of Dallas, Texas. I waved the sand away, which had pointed me in the direction of Desjardins. Why did I choose Michel of all people to track? I knew Iskandar would keep him on this duty, being the second most powerful magician has its trust in certain responsibilities. I was also sure he would want to continue our fight from where we left it off.

I continued walking east, the direction the arrow was pointed in before I dissolved it. A few steps further and I felt as if something was watching me, drawing my staff out as I peered around. Trees and grass, a perfect way to hide a sudden ambush.

The first to show themselves was a male a little older than I, his staff and wand out. He was speaking in a familiar accent as more showed themselves, daring to come closer. I peered around, trying to piece out who it was, or at least where they were from. "What is the meaning of this?" I snapped finally.

My eyes stopped on a familiar figure amongst the others. She wore a baby-blue cloak, hiding her chocolate hair in the hood, familiar bow in her right hand, quiver resting on her back. I had known her too well that I didn't need to think twice to take in which Nome it was, Forty-Sixth Nome in Seattle.

Her emerald eyes bore at me, taking a step forward, making sure I was well aware of the bow. "Amos Kane," her voice introduced formally, "you are to give yourself up to the Per Ankh or else we will use force against you."

I couldn't help but grin. I cannot deny that she is a good marksman, but she had never been willing to harm anyone unless they absolutely deserved it. "You would fight me?" I questioned.

Her eyes hardened, a flicker of anger flashed across her expression. "We are not here to harm you, we want to help-"

Help, what a ridiculous word to be using. I laughed at the thought, stopping her short. "I can't have anyone help me." I explained, recalling my father's harsh words. "Don't you remember Kyra? He said I have to be a Kane or-"

She had pulled an arrow out with her left hand, notching it to our grandfather's bow as she aimed it on me. My right eyebrow rose, taking in the focused look in her eyes. "You would shoot me down like a dog?"

A sudden hint of sadness had struck her, her eyes relaxed as she tried to even her breathing. I faced the east again, a sudden knowledge of another guest approaching. "He's here," I spoke aloud, taking in the airplane.

"Who is-" Kyra managed, worry taking its toll.

A burst of energy overcame my nerves. A flick of my wrists and a strong gust of wind threw several of her fellow magicians off their feet. _Kill them all, they want to limit your power._

I summoned three tornados, using the power rushing madly through me. It didn't dwindle to my use, making me almost suffocate to the warmth of it as I took in how powerful I currently am. I peered over to see that Kyra was the only one remaining on her feet, which I added more strength to the wind, almost succeeding in making her topple.

However, she's always been known to be insistent, struggling to take her next steps to get closer. The screeching of torn metal gained my attention, seeing a wing on the airplane be blown off. Immediately after, a wisp of white magic started gathering the pieces from the air, attempting to mend the airplane.

Two feet away, how did she get so close? I forced a larger gust of wind at her, finally making her fall as I faced her, fear clearly written in her eyes. "This isn't you, Amos!" She screamed over the wind.

* * *

_"You really should get better at hitting a moving target before asking me to set it on fire." I rolled my eyes as she evened her breathing, the flame flickering brightly at the arrowhead._

_ "Where's the fun in that?" She smirked, but kept her eyes on the swinging target twenty-feet before us._

_ "So you're not killing someone," I pointed out quickly._

_ She stuck her tongue out for a second and returned to the target. "Come on, you're a Kane, shouldn't get so testy about this."_

_ "This is reckless," I continued._

_ She released it, missing the target and set fire to a batch of grass alongside the river. "Or maybe just set New York on fire." I rolled my eyes._

_ "Oh ha, just douse it will you?" She quickly grabbed another arrow from her quiver that she placed against the railing of the veranda._

_ Maybe I shouldn't have been too upset, it was good practice on divine words. I waited a second after the small downpour to make sure the fire was completely out. Then crossed my arms as I faced her, taking that she wanted to continue anyways. "What is with this sudden fascination with fire?"_

_ "Spending time with my cousin is what." She teased. "We barely even see each other anymore, you're always studying and I'm always practicing. Kind of miss what it was like two years ago."_

_ "You mean, sneaking around for you to practice behind my father's back and plainly getting out of the mansion?" Now that I listed it, I rather missed it myself._

_ She smiled in reply, not finding a reason to be verbal on the matter. "Now, will you?" She offered the arrow towards me._

_ I was more than willing to say no, but I saw the same look I usually get from her. Actually, I guess I got that look from the entire Twenty-First Nome. It must have rubbed off on her._

* * *

I came back to the scene, feeling as if a huge burst of fire had tried to eat at me from the inside. I was starting to panic, worried about how much power he was actually drilling through me. In the confusion, I abruptly turned to find myself locking eyes with my cousin, her hand on my right shoulder. _Kill her_.

Why would I do that? My cousin knew me better than Julius at times. Moreover, she wasn't in the way of our conquering. The fire started to die down, my head clearing with my vision going back to normal, no more fuzzy red blocking my sight.

Maybe I should have kept it, because she looked freaked out as she peered back in my eyes. "K-Kyra?" I barely managed, my mouth dry as if the fire had absorbed all water, eyes burning out of irritation.

She relaxed and immediately attacked me with a hug, crying into my right shoulder. "It's okay, you're safe-"

I pulled myself away, taking in that the wind had died down. My eyes took in the scene again, realizing how much had been blocked from my sight, the worst being the crashed plane. Mind racing, I couldn't figure out for the life of me why I had attacked the plane in the first place. I could have easily waited for it to land to fight him.

"Amos," Kyra's worried voice cut through.

"I can't stay here," I announced before slamming my staff into the ground beneath my feet, entering the Duat.

I stood there for a moment, trying to figure out what was wrong with me. I have _never_ wanted to harm others, especially not my own family. Even when Julius and I fight, I always let him win simply because I don't have the heart to pummel him. I attacked strangers, innocents that were on the plan with Desjardins.

_We must continue, Amos. Time is short; the children need your help._ Set's voice urged. _You must kill to fix your brother's mistake. Their blood is on him._

A surge of hate bubbled up again. It is his fault. If he had just listened, none of this would be happening. Again, it has been placed in my hands. I trained myself to expect it, follow my brother to clean up after him. I'm only rewarded by the praise they give him, and I accepted it with a nod.


End file.
